My Duty to My Sister
by moon ash
Summary: When Hisana confides in Rukia that she is unable to bear Byakuya children, her only option is to give Rukia the impossible task of doing what she could not, giving Byakuya that heir. M for violence, sex, dub-con, hurt, angst etc.
1. Prologue

**A/N: ****I have to warn you guys, there is no fluff between Byakuya and Rukia as it is a dystopian story, where it is sad, upsetting and 'really quite horrible.' ****Yeah, so it's an M and for warning, there will be violence, swearing, um non-con/dub-con, whatever you call it, lemons and god knows what my mind will put into it. **

**This is in an AU universe where Hisana is still alive when she and Rukia live on the Kuchiki estate, so basically, it's where Hisana didn't abandon Rukia as a baby but kept her instead.**

**WARNINGS: M RATED, NON-CON, DUB-CON, VIOLENCE, LANGUAGE, HURT, GRIEF, ANGST etc.  
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**I do not own Bleach! If I did, I would make Jushiro mine *nosebleed***

**My Duty to my Sister  
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**Prologue**

Rukia remembered that day, when her duty to her sister changed everything. She remembered how her sister had protected her in Rukongai, often having to resort to stealing and working awful jobs to support them in the hovel they called home. She remembered how her sister soldiered on without complaint to give herself and her dear little sister everything she could and loved her dearly despite her being a burden. She also remembered when her sister met Byakuya Kuchiki, how she went to soul reaper academy soon after that and her sister and herself moved in with him. She had never liked him, he had always ignored her and saw her as a burden, but his love for Hisana had made him agree to let her stay there, as long as she had a room far away from theirs and she didn't make too much noise.

For this, she was somewhat grateful; he had, after all, pulled them from poverty and provided them with a beautiful house, lots of space, exquisite food and an almost ridiculous amount of money. Of course, the elders of the clan saw not only herself but also Hisana as scum, but as long as she didn't bother them, then tended to pay her no mind. However, the day she remembers most clearly, was that day, when her sister confided something in her and then asked something of her she could never had imagined. Her whole world had changed in that second, and she knew she would no longer be able to fight in her squad, meet up with her friends, go to the real world, see Ichigo and go to school like most young people. She had however, kept herself composed as she had digested the information, but inside, she knew her world was over.

She looked to the sleeping figure next to her, the one lone person who could now give her solace, even after everything that had happened. She had learned so much from him, how to appreciate herself, how to love another and how to feel confident in herself, even though she looked the way she did. She allowed herself a small smile as she snuggled closer to him, and even though it was bad now, she had no idea how much worse the situation would soon become.


	2. The Act of Kindness

**A/N: Hey, sorry for the long wait...I've been writing on and off and then I went away with my fiancee and had a nice summer...and then had to study loads for Japanese as I we had more tests and exams :'( So yeah... but I've been writing more for my other stories and stuff! But yeah...here it is! And the whole no authors notes is a pain in the ass, trying to get these ones put in were annoying! Oh yeah, I've also been filling for the Kink Memes so if you see me around, I'm M00n Ash on live journal so I've filled a few, including an FMA one. Oh, and I'm totally cosplaying as Ed from FMA at my Halloween party, I'm so excited, I'm getting my artist housemate to paint my arm, including all the bolts and joints! So lucky! So yeah, have fun!**

**A message to L: No I'm not discontinuing, I'm just busy and lazy haha. Thanks everyone who reviewed, favourited the story and/or me as an author!  
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**I don't own Bleach, if I did, I would make Ukitake my bitch, cos I LOVE him!**

**Erm...warnings...none of yet, except Adult Situations and Angst...but there will soon be Dub-Con, Lemons, Language, Lots of Angst etc! Warnings for next chapter onwards!**

**OH AND I WANTED TO CLEAR UP THE DUB-CON QUERY: Dub-con is not limited to only yaoi, it means that the character (female or male) 'is not sure if this is what they want' when it comes to a sexual situation, ie. is it neither rape nor wholly consensual, ie, the character is not sure if it is completely what they want!  
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Chapter One

The Act of Kindness

Rukia walked quietly to breakfast, knowing how she liked to be seen rather than heard, and people in the house rarely liked to hear her. She tiptoed past Byakuya and Hisana's room in case they were still sleeping, she would hate to wake them up, and she shuddered at how Byakuya would be even more hateful of her if she did in fact wake them up. She walked through the corridors quickly as she sped away from their room, hoping her empty stomach would not betray her.

She slowed however as she heard the familiar voice of her sister, and a few mumbles from her brother-in-law coming from the dining room. She stopped outside the door, keeping her self hidden around the corner, on the one hand she did not want to be accused of eavesdropping, but on the other, from the tone of voice her sister was using, it did not sound like a pleasant conversation either, and one she did not want to be stuck in the middle of.

"Well…what do want us to do, Byakuya-sama?" Rukia heard her sister ask, prompting her to frown at Hisana's question, "This is the third time and the elders have had enough of this method."

"I'm sure something else can be arranged," Byakuya said to his wife, and Rukia noted how his voice was particularly icy today, great, he was in a bad mood.

"Well, what about R…"

"No," Byakuya growled, cutting Hisana off in mid-sentence, "That is one option I will not take." Rukia edged forward a little, trying to keep unseen yet hear more, she could have sworn that Hisana was going to say her name, but why would they be talking about her? Maybe that's why Byakuya cut Hisana off, he hated her so naturally he would hate talking about her too.

"But, it may be our only way, we've tried everything else," she objected, prompting Rukia to listen harder, "And it wouldn't be too bad…"

"No," Byakuya repeated, and Rukia could detect an edge of annoyance in his voice now, this was bad, and whatever it was, Rukia had a horrible feeling it involved her.

"Maybe just think about it…" Hisana tried to continue but was cut off by Rukia's own foolishness in trying to overhear. Rukia could have sworn that her heart had skipped a beat in that second that the slightly squeaky floorboard had creaked under her weight as she had moved closer. She took a few seconds to compose herself before making a few loud footsteps on the spot and walking into the room, feigning ignorance by yawning and stretching her arms in fake sleepiness. Despite her acting, she saw the worried look Hisana shot Byakuya the nervous facial expression she now held.

"Good morning, Rukia," Hisana said chirpily trying to hide her anxiousness, "How did you sleep?"

"Well," Rukia replied quietly as she picked up her chopsticks, keeping her head down and eating quickly.

"So, are you going to the real world today or are you going to train in your squad?" Hisana asked in an attempt to clear the stagnant air somewhat, "Are you going to see that guy, what's his name, Ichigo right? Or you could meet up with Renji or someone, you know it would be nice if you got a boyfriend or something…"

Rukia ate even more quickly, finishing in record time and only looking up at her sister before taking her leave. She loved her sister dearly, but Hisana thought that Rukia could sit there after everything and carry on a happy conversation then she should think again. She knew her sister had meant well, but she couldn't stand the heaviness in the air and the fact that they knew she had been listening. Not only this, but she couldn't stand to see her sister like this, her eyes had dark circles and her face looked almost dead inside, she obviously hadn't slept properly for a very long time, and it reminded them of their days in Rukongai, and she had never wanted to see her like that again.

"I'm going to train," Rukia mumbled on her way out, giving her sister a brief smile and giving a quick bow to Byakuya before scurrying out as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Do you think she overheard?" Hisana asked Byakuya, her face just as worried as it was before Rukia had entered the room.

"Yes," Byakuya replied, looking towards her now, "And she's still listening now."

Both of them looked towards the door, prompting an eavesdropping Rukia to rush back to her room and grab her Zanpakutō before returning back to her squad, confused and nervous.

xxxxxxx

Rukia rushed into her squad, wanting to put as much space between that house and herself. She was even considering staying at the squad that night, just to give Byakuya and Hisana some time to sort whatever they needed to out. She passed Kiyone and Sentarō who were busy wrestling each other for something in one of the rooms before briefly flitting past her captain's room. She looked in on passing, frowning, as he wasn't present. She went into her own room, after being made vice-captain, captain Ukitake had insisted she have her own room, despite much protest, she would have happily had a desk in the foyer of the barracks instead, but then, having a room to herself had its perks, privacy, a place to put her stuff without it being in the way, even enough room for a small bed if she needed to stay overnight. She looked on her desk to find a note left for her,

_Rukia,_

_I'm sorry to have to leave my post at such short notice, but I've had to make an emergency trip to the fourth squad. I've left some paperwork that needs finishing up, there's not much, makes a change eh? Also, there are a few parcels and important documents that need taking to various places, it's all written down on bits of paper on top of the pile on my desk. If you can't get round to delivering them, you can always hand them to Kiyone or Sentarō, good luck! If you finish everything before the workday ends, then please go home early, you deserve the rest! Thank you!_

_Captain Ukitake._

She put the note back, suddenly feeling sorry for her captain, all she was worried about was the fact that her sister was talking about her, and she could have been saying anything! It might not have necessarily been a bad thing she was saying, and yet her captain was struggling with an illness everyday of his long life, and he still managed to keep cheerful!

She nodded to herself, plucking up the courage to go back to the Kuchiki household tonight, instead of sleeping in the barracks, she didn't have to see Byakuya if she got in late and left early for work the next morning, after all. She walked into her captain's room, picking up the documents that were on his desk, as he instructed. One letter to be taken to squad six, one package to squad…hang on a second…squad six? Rukia could feel her legs turning to jelly and her stomach began to feel odd as she read it again several times, squad six was the last place she wanted to be. She looked up quickly, remembering what her captain had said; she could give it to Kiyone or Sentarō. She quickly ran out of the room, hoping to find one of them so she could give them the package. She ran down the corridor and out of the barracks, looking in every room and even shouting their names, however she could not find them. She cursed, something she rarely did, they were probably off drinking again. She even went to their drinking 'place' the area they usually drank and giggled, however, she did not find them there. She sighed, if she couldn't find them, then she would have to deliver to squad six herself, maybe she could just give them to Renji and not see Byakuya, yeah, she would do that, and besides, her captain is so ill and needs just a few errands running, how could she call herself the vice-captain if she didn't help her captain or perform her duties? She took a deep breath to steady her nerves before gripping the package tightly and flash stepping to the sixth squad.

xxxxxxx

She knocked on the door of the sixth squad's office, waiting for a response, desperately hoping no one was there. Her heart froze however as the door opened quickly, revealing a grumpy Renji. She sighed in relief upon seeing him, so much so, that she jumped at him, flinging her arms around him in a big embrace.

"Hey Rukia," he smiled, hugging her back before he invited her into the office, "What brings you here?"

"I have a parcel for Nii-sama from my captain, is h-he in?" she stuttered a little, trying to get her nerves under control. She looked at Renji hopefully, hoping to Kami he wasn't in the office.

"Nope," Renji replied, nearly causing Rukia to pass out with relief, "Are you ok? You look a little ill…"

"I'm fine," she replied truthfully, "Just a little tired is all…where is he anyway?" She asked, worried she may bump into him somewhere in Seireitei.

"He and the lady Kuchiki are attending an elders meeting, and I've been lumbered with all the work!" he complained as he moved the pen angrily across the papers.

"An elders meeting?" she asked, curious as to why she had not been invited…was it to do with what they were talking about earlier? Was she going to be kicked from the house? Or worse?

"Are you sure you're ok?" Renji asked again as she looked up and saw her now white face, "You don't look to good, go to captain Unohana, she may be able to help." He pressed his hand to her forehead, noting how she was a little warm before taking the package off her and sending her to the fourth squad with no tolerance of arguments from her.

xxxxxxx

"How many attempts have there been now?" One of the Kuchiki elders asked, looking across to Hisana.

"Three…all failed…" She replied solemnly, keeping her head down and her hands in her lap.

"And before that?" Another one piped up whilst he ruffled some papers and passed them to another elder.

"Seven months of natural conception methods, then three attempts of help in the living world, and another five months of Unohana's fertility treatment," Byakuya replied, looking all of the Elders in the face, and keeping his voice stoic.

"And all ended in failure?" Ginrei asked, locking eyes with Byakuya.

"Yes," Hisana spoke now, her voice quiet and weak as she tried to compose herself.

"And the conclusion?" A woman asked in a harsh voice.

"The experts in the living world said that there is less than ten percent chance of conceiving, even with all of the treatment we've had…" Hisana concluded, her quiet voice trailing off at the end as she struggled to come to grips with the reality of the situation.

"This is a very serious issue," the uncaring woman continued, looking around at the other elders who all had the look of agreement upon their faces.

"Are those all of the options available?" Ginrei asked, the only Kuchiki elder to have some form of sympathy for Hisana, albeit very meagre.

"Yes, although we are still looking into more ways to conceive," Byakuya replied, providing Hisana with a little more hope.

"A great deal of money has already been spent on the three failed methods," the woman argued, looking across at Ginrei.

"Yes, nearly two million yen in fact," a particularly old Kuchiki elder agreed.

"This household has more than enough money. Enough to keep having treatment for at least the next century," Byakuya cut through the heated discussion with his loud and unwavering voice.

"That may be true," an elder with a slight gruff in his voice, pointed out quickly, "However, you have been trying to produce an heir for over a year now, and time is pressing on. We don't have the time for you to keep trying, especially with such a low chance of conception."

"Very true," the woman agreed, nodding her head at the other elder, "Ginrei, what do you suggest?"

Ginrei looked at Byakuya and Hisana in turn, knowing the only answer and yet also knowing that the little pity he held for Hisana would not be welcome with the other elders. Hisana kept her head down, fearing the worst yet keeping some hope that they would not be as cruel as she suspected they would be.

"If all other options have been exercised with no results then I suppose the last option is to purchase a concubine from a respectable household in order to produce the heir." He concluded, watching as Hisana jerked at the suggestion.

Hisana's eyes widened and she felt Byakuya stiffen beside her. A concubine? She had expected something bad, but she had never expected they would have to so this, they know that Byakuya would out rightly refuse, so why even suggest it?

"Well, that might be a solution," he woman agreed, looking towards the other elders.

"I agree," the gruff voiced elder interjected, "It would guarantee an heir and one from a noble household would be both a good investment for when we would sell her back on and would not tarnish the Kuchiki name if anyone were to find out."

"Indeed," another elderly woman spoke, piping up for the first time, "I am in favour of the purchase of a high class concubine."

"Any objections?" Ginrei asked, looking around at the rest of the elders, none of which objected.

"I will not have a concubine in my household," Byakuya responded, his monotone voice booming in the room now, "We will try other options, and as head of the clan, I refuse to have any heirs born by any other woman than my own wife."

Ginrei, who knew that Byakuya would instantly reject this suggestion, cleared this throat now before addressing Byakuya, "Even though you are the head of the clan, my grandson, you also signed a contract at the meeting where we discussed the need for an heir, that if Hisana did not produce the heir within one year of signing, the next decision will be made by the council of elders."

"As head of the clan," he continued, slight frustration keeping into his body, "I can override any contract."

"Ah, but if the contract were to be overridden, your sister, Rukia would soon find herself back on the street," the first woman said, spite hinting her voice.

Hisana looked up at Byakuya quickly, worried for her sister's sake, yet also fearful that a concubine would be brought into the household. Byakuya was pinned into a corner, even though he was head of the household, he knew that the elders could easily get rid of Rukia in a heartbeat, or treat her badly to the point that she would want to leave of free will. He looked down, knowing that the next choice would put greatly hurt Hisana, whichever he picked. He despised the thought of sleeping with some other woman; even if was to produce an heir, but he also knows how much Rukia means to Hisana, and kicking her out of the household would make Hisana just as miserable as if he decided to use a concubine.

"There is another option…" Hisana said quickly, looking up at the elders in hurriedly as her heard pounded with desperation.

"No, Hisana," Byakuya said sternly, looking down at her.

"My sister, Rukia," Hisana continued, despite Byakuya's objection, causing all of the elders to switch their attention to her, "I've been thinking that instead of buying at concubine, Rukia could produce the heir."

"But even though she is an adopted Kuchiki," one of the male elders argued, "She is still from a much lower class than any high class concubine we would buy."

"Indeed, we want the heir to be as high class as possible," the second woman agreed.

"But if we use Rukia, then we will save time in searching for one," another man suggested.

"Also," Hisana continued, breaking up the argument, "Rukia and I look incredibly similar, the heir would look as close to me and Byakuya as our own child would look like. In this way, no other noble families would know that the baby wasn't mine and Byakuya's, and there is no need to buy a concubine…"

"I agree with Hisana," Ginrei said with a nod of agreement, "At least if Rukia was used right away, it would give us some time to search for the right concubine if she also turned out to be no good."

Hisana stiffened, she hated to be thought of as 'no good,' and she hated for her sister to be also seen in that light, but she knew how cruel the elders could be, and even the fact that they were considering Rukia as an option, was a massive breakthrough. Hisana herself didn't like the thought of using Rukia, for one, she didn't want to put her through the stress of going through the whole ordeal of having their child, and secondly, she didn't want Rukia to feel pressured or blackmailed into it, she knew how much Rukia worshipped her as a sister, and she knew that Rukia would say yes out of, well debt almost. However, that's why she was considering Rukia, short of getting a concubine, it was their only option. Hisana despised the thought of having another woman in the house; another woman to potentially even fall for Byakuya, at least there was no fear of that in Rukia's case. Not only that, but she knew that she could talk to Rukia freely as a sister every single day of her potential pregnancy, discuss how she's feeling emotionally and physically and if Rukia is troubled, as least she could reach out and hep, but with a concubine, all that bonding would be lost.

"I suppose we could give the sister a certain amount of time to conceive the heir and find the concubine and buy her if Rukia fails to become pregnant in the time," the first woman speculated, looking around at the others.

"But what if the sister also cannot conceive?" the second woman pointed out quickly.

"We can't know for certain if she can or cannot bear the heir, but the concubine will be bought if it turns out she also cannot conceive," Ginrei replied, "We'll give her six months, plenty of time to find the concubine, and enough time to see if she is capable of bearing the heir."

"I agree," the first woman concluded before several other agreements came from some of the males.

"I object to this," Byakuya cut in now, having had more than enough of this ridiculous meeting by now, "I refuse to have any concubine in my household, and I refuse to produce the heir with my adopted sister."

"I am also in agreement," the second woman nodded, concluding all of the elders in agreement.

"Byakuya," Ginrei addressed the now frustrated head of the clan as he turned to face the pair, "You have six months to conceive a child with Rukia Kuchiki, if this is not achieved, a concubine will be purchased and you must conceive the heir with her. Meeting adjourned.

xxxxxxx

Rukia looked around the quad four barracks, looking for either vice-captain Isane or captain Unohana. She had decided to take Renji's advice and see captain Unohana, just in case she was running a fever, and perhaps to talk to her about her concerns in confidence.

"Rukia?" came a voice down the hall.

"Captain!" she exclaimed, recognising the voice as she turned around to face him, "Are you ok? You should be resting!"

"I'm feeling better after seeing Unohana," he assured her with a smile, "But what are you doing here? Are you ill?"

"No, no," she said quickly, waving her hands from side to side quickly, "Renji thinks my temperature is a little high, so I can to see captain Unohana just in case anything is wrong."

"It's a good job you heeded his advice, having a temperature can mean something may be wrong, so it's better to get treatment quickly," he agreed with a hint of concern for her well-being in his voice, "Unohana has just finished treating me, so she should be ready to see you."

As if on cue, Retsu exited the same consultation room that Jūshirō had just come out of not two minutes before.

"Rukia," she addressed her with a little surprise in her voice, "What are you doing here?"

"Abarai sent her apparently, she thinks she may have a fever, could you take a look at her? I can't have my vice-captain ill," Jūshirō replied, saving Rukia the trouble of explaining herself.

"I have an appointment in ten minutes, but it won't take me very long at all to check if you're ok, so I can see you in this small time slot," Retsu said with a smile, walking past Jūshirō and beckoning Rukia to follow her into her office. Rukia gave a small smile. She had wanted to talk to the captain about what she had heard this morning, it was still bothering her, and she knew she could the good advice she needed by talking to her, but if she had another appointment, then she would have to wait to talk to her at a later date. At least Retsu could check her physical health now.

"I'll wait outside for you," Jūshirō offered, also following them before sitting down in the chair outside the main office.

Rukia wanted to protest, that her captain shouldn't have to wait around for her, however Retsu shuffled her into the office lickety-split. Retsu closed the door behind her before ushering Rukia into the seat nest her desk and sitting down.

"So, you said you're a little warm," Retsu asked, ruffling through her desk as she looked for the tools she needed.

"Y-yeah, Renji said that my forehead feels a little hot, and that I may have a fever," Rukia replied with a nod, "So I thought I better get checked out, just in case."

"That's wise," Retsu agreed with a serious tone, "You could have picked up one of those viruses from the living world, I've seen a lot of soul reapers with the 'cold' virus, or so they call it there." Rukia nodded before becoming the subject of Retsu's tests.

"Ok, can you stick this under your tongue please?" Retsu requested, popping the thermometer into Rukia's now open mouth and angling it gently under her tongue. She held it there for a few minutes before taking it back out and checking the reading. She pulled, what seemed to Rukia, as a weird face, however Retsu was in thought as she put the thermometer onto the tray to be sterilised for the next patient. Then, she picked up the eye light, asking Rukia to look very straight as Retsu shined the light into her eye to get a look into her eye for any sign of infection or inflammation.

"Is there something wrong?" Rukia asked after Retsu had put the light back.

"Your temperature is a little high, nothing to be immediately worried about, but it's still higher than normal and your eyes seem a little red and sore. Have you had any pain? Soreness or aching anywhere?"

"No, nothing feels out of the ordinary," Rukia replied, staring to worry that there could be something wrong, "Is everything ok?"

"Yes," Retsu concluded, putting the light back into the drawer, "As I said, your temperature is a little high, but it is most likely due to dehydration and lack of sleep. Also, if you're worrying about something, it can have a big influence over your state of being, so I suggest that you drink a lot of water, but not all in one go, and get an early night. I can talk to your captain about letting you have a day off to catch up on sleep and resting, which I'm sure he won't mind. If things get any worse, come and see me."

"Thank you," she replied with a nod and a smile before leaving her office. Jūshirō immediately stood up as the door opened, smiling at Rukia as she walked past.

"Rukia is dehydrated and suffering from exhaustion," Retsu said quietly to Jūshirō, "Make sure she drinks enough water and if she starts to feel sick or anything, send her home. I also feel that she would benefit from a day off."

"Sure, I'll keep my eye on her," Jūshirō agreed with a nod, "I'll give her the day off tomorrow too, to make sure she recovers."

Retsu nodded before bidding Rukia and Jūshirō farewell and turning the opposite way to collect her next appointment from the waiting room.

"Lady Kuchiki?" Retsu asked as she poked her head through the door to the waiting room.

"Yes," Hisana replied, looking up from the magazine she was reading, "Please, call me Hisana, we've known each other long enough now to drop the formalities." No matter how many times Hisana asked Retsu to call her by her first name, Retsu always felt it was disrespectful to call her anything other than lady Kuchiki, but she still made an effort to accommodate Hisana's wishes.

"Yes, Hisana," Retsu replied reluctantly, leading her into her office.

"Don't the people in the living world have such a lovely fashion sense," Hisana mused after having seen some of the latest fashion lines in the magazines that Retsu had managed to bring back from the living world.

"Oh yes," Retsu agreed, shutting the door behind Retsu and gesturing for her to sit down, "I love to go shopping when I go there, but since it's difficult to take a holiday, I don't get to go often. It's also expensive there…but the clothes are so cute that I buy them anyway!"

Retsu chuckled to herself as she sat down in the desk chair; Hisana nodding in agreement as she also shared the love of cute clothes from the living world.

"I've been thinking about the next for fertility treatment for you," Retsu said seriously, cutting the girl talk.

"I want the treatments to stop," Hisana concluded, looking at the doctor with sadness.

"Why? There are still a few options available, don't give up yet," Retsu tried to console her with a cheerful attitude, placing her hand on the small woman's arm and rubbing it like a mother would to her disheartened child.

"The elders have ruled that since Byakuya-sama and I have been trying for a child for too long, we are to stop treatment and another woman is to produce the child."

"I don't wish to challenge the Kuchiki family," Retsu put gently, "But isn't there a better way to deal with this than bringing in another woman?"

"No, they won't budge on the decision," she replied quickly, looking down at her hands to concentrate on anything other than crying, "It's a final decision, nothing can be done."

"I'm sorry, Hisana," Retsu sympathised with the teary woman, genuinely feeling sorry for the her, after everything Hisana had been through, she deserved better than that, "Who is the woman? Do you know who she is?"

"Yes, technically," Hisana confirmed, looking up at Retsu now.

"Who is it?" Retsu asked, expecting her to say the name of a well-known high-class concubine.

"It's…R-Rukia," Hisana stuttered a little, looking as Retsu's face suddenly portrayed shock.

"Rukia?" Retsu repeated, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Yes," Hisana confirmed, sighing before giving the whole explanation, "The elders were going to buy a high-class concubine from another noble family to produce the heir, but I felt tat Rukia would be more suited to have the heir as we have similar looks and as we are close, I can talk her through the whole pregnancy…"

"Did you suggest to the elders that she should have the heir, or did they come to that decision themselves?"

"I suggested it," Hisana revealed, looking at Retsu confidently.

"Hisana…" Retsu began, thinking about how she was going to phrase it, "Suggesting that Rukia produce the heir puts…a great amount of pressure on her…now, I don't know Rukia as well as you do, but I feel that she isn't ready for anything like that…"

"I've thought about it for a very long time," Hisana revealed, "I wouldn't have suggested it, if I didn't think she could do this, she's strong willed and determined, even more so than me, I feel that she could stay strong during pregnancy…"

"The pregnancy is one thing," Retsu cut Hisana off, now deeply stressed about this decision, "But the sheer act of conceiving the child is bad enough for her, not forgetting that she views him as a brother for starters, it would be far from loving and pleasurable, and if she's a virgin, I'm more than sure that she is waiting for the right person to experience it with, not her adoptive brother in the hopes of making a child for her sister…"

"I've also thought about that," Hisana agreed, speaking quickly, "And it's one way I know that nothing will happen. If a concubine were used, there's nothing to say that she wouldn't fall in love with Byakuya-sama and enjoy the copulation with him, as a wife, I have to protect myself and my husband…"

"And as a sister, you need to protect your sister," Retsu pointed out, cutting above Hisana a second time.

"Yes," Hisana said, "I will go through everything with her, so she won't be afraid or anything silly like that, and she trusts Byakuya-sama so she will have a little comfort at least…"

"Hisana, I feel that this issue has clouded your judgement," Retsu concluded, giving the voice of reason, "I know your reasons for asking Rukia, to protect your marriage and to actually have a child that resembles you and your husband, but I feel that Rukia just isn't ready for this, she's too unstable right now to have the child, or even conceive it…have you told her yet?"

"Not yet, I will be discussing it with her tonight, and the elders decision is final, she has been chosen to have the heir," Hisana said.

"Ok," Retsu finished completely defeated by Hisana's choice, "Once you have spoken to her, bring her by my office, I'm not sure how much Rukia knows about sex and pregnancy, so I'll ask her what she knows about everything and I'll try and help her with any problems or questions or worries that she may have in advance, to help the whole affair go more smoothly."

"Thank you," Hisana said with a smile, standing up and preparing to leave, "I feel that Rukia would benefit from your guidance on this matter, and I know she'll do the Kuchiki family proud."

With that, Hisana thanked Retsu once again before bidding her a nice evening and leaving her office, ready to break the news to her sister.

xxxxxxx

"Is there something wrong, Rukia?" Jūshirō asked as they walked back to the squad thirteen barracks.

"No, I'm fine," she hastily replied, keeping her head down.

"Well, I'm worried about you," Jūshirō said truthfully, "And so is captain Unohana, so I want you to have tomorrow off, and even the next day if you need it. I'm sorry that you have to work harder because I'm not always there to run things in the squad."

"No, no," Rukia protested, shaking her hands from side to side as she did so, "I'm fine, really, it's my job after all to fill in when you can't do your job, and I enjoy doing my duties!"

"Still," Jūshirō argued, "I want you to take some time off and recover, you can't spend all your time working."

"But I…"

"No buts," Jūshirō cut Rukia off, shaking his head at her disobedience.

"Yes, captain," Rukia said, defeated and thoroughly dreading what tomorrow would bring.

"I'll tell you what," Jūshirō continued, "Why don't you help me finish up some things in the barracks and then if we finish early, you can head home early too."

"Y-yes, captain," she agreed, now knowing that there would be no further discussion on this matter.

xxxxxxx

Now that Jūshirō felt better since his visit to Unohana, he was able to assist Rukia in her paperwork and filing the reports from the previous mission. He was even able to plan new drills and exercises for the new recruits with Rukia's help, to which he thanked her greatly and sent her home early as an expression of his gratitude.

Rukia had walked back home quickly, hoping that Byakuya would still be at work so she could head straight to her room and not see him. However, as she opened the front door, she was confronted with the sound of her sister's frantic shouts and noise. She froze, her heart pounding as she decided whether to leave and come back later or whether she should bite the bullet and rush to her room.

Plucking up courage, she walked briskly to her room; thankful that Hisana's loud voice blocked the noise of the squeaky floorboards. She had never heard Hisana raise her voice this loudly before, in all honesty she used to think that her sister would never be able to even raise her voice, never mind about scream at anyone, and she definitely didn't want to know why she was doing it either. She felt greatly for her sister, and although it pained her to know her sister was distressed, she knew better than to get involved. She briefly noticed that Byakuya wasn't replying to her statements and questions, however, when she heard her name she froze on the spot, and only then did Byakuya make any form of response.

"Why are you against Rukia doing this?" Hisana asked him, her voice raised in her frustration.

"She is my sister, you are my wife, any heirs are to be borne from you," he replied, his voice as calm as ever.

"But you know we can't!" she cried louder, "The elders have already ruled it!"

Rukia frowned at this point, her heart still pounding for fear of being caught, and her mind desperately telling her to flash step to her room, but her feet wouldn't move. She knew they were talking about her, and she wondered if it was the same topic that they were discussing this morning. As they continued talking however, she couldn't help but think that things were horribly wrong. An heir? Were the elders after an heir? What did Hisana mean? Can't do what?

"You know I want neither a concubine nor Rukia to produce it," Byakuya continued, bringing Rukia back from her thoughts into the present, "But a concubine would have been easier, it would have eliminated any awkwardness and unneeded angst on everybody's part."

"But you know that I would never be able to be close to the baby during the pregnancy stage if we had used a concubine," Hisana argued, "That concubine and the baby would be taken into a secure place by the elders until she had it, at least with Rukia I can go to the scans and be a part of both their lives!"

"You can bond with the baby when it's born," Byakuya pointed out.

"How can you say that?" Hisana howled, tears creeping into her voice now, "You know this is more than just an heir, you know I have wanted a child since the day I met you, and now as your wife, I can't have that child that I want for us so much, how do you think that makes me feel?"

"I want this too," Byakuya agreed with her, "But this isn't the way to do it, and now that the elders have agreed, there's northing we can do about it."

"And Rukia is the best option we have," Hisana concluded confidently.

"I want a child you with, not her!" Byakuya argued, raising his voice for the first time, silencing Hisana. The two stood in stalemate for a few seconds, the sound of creaking the only noise now. Byakuya threw his hand out towards the door, his rush of reiatsu thrusting the door open, revealing Rukia who looked like a dear caught in headlights. In the few seconds that they all stood still, Rukia noticed how her sister had been crying heavily, her eyes red and puffy and the rest of her face drained of all other colour. For the first time in her life, Rukia saw an actual expression on her brother's face, a mixture of shock and anger as they both looked at her.

The next thing had happened so quickly that every time Rukia thought about it, she could never quite fit everything together perfectly. She remembered that after those few seconds, she had flash-stepped out of the house and had never moved so quickly in all her life. One minute she knew that she was running for her life, Byakuya hot on her tail with his own far advanced flash step, and in the next minute, she was standing in the squad thirteen barracks, her heart pounding and her head spinning with Byakuya nowhere to be found. As she touched her face, it was wet and hot and when her captain had rushed over to her confused and concerned, she had broken down and wept with fear as he patted her back soothingly.

**Please review! It helps me to upload more! So erm...Rukitake? Fear not! The Byaruki will begin next chapter, but as you know, it's not nice Byaruki, more angsty than anything, but anything kicks off next chapter! See you then!**


	3. Into the Abyss

**A/N: Hey, this is the 'sad mind-fuck chapter,' just warning. Also, read the warning below, kids.**

**Oh yeah, I don't own Bleach!**

**WARNINGS: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT. ****THIS CHAPTER HAS NON-CON/DUB-CON, PAIN, GRIEF, ANGST AND HURTFUL SEX. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER-AGE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. EXTREMELY DARK MATERIAL AHEAD!**

**Below it the Commander is fucking. What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say love making, because that's not what he's doing. – Margaret Atwood, 'The Handmaid's Tale.'**

Chapter Two

Into the Abyss

That night had been the first time she had been forced to stay at the barracks overnight. Her captain had naturally given her multiple cups of tea and plates of food in an attempt to calm her down, but to his dismay, she still dodged around the subject of what was wrong. Hoping she would open up a little more in the morning, he sent her to a spare room with clean sheets and towels and told her to sleep.

"I wasn't born yesterday," Jūshirō, said with a sigh as she turned up to his office early, "I know there's something wrong."

Rukia faked a smile, but she knew that she wasn't fooling anyone. She had practically flung herself within the barracks hallway, out of breath, red in the face and crying her eyes out. She sat down opposite him, exhausted from getting little to no sleep the previous night for she had been worrying about her brother and sister's argument and what her role was in this twisted problem of theirs. The more she thought about it and tried to piece together from what she heard, she couldn't help but fear the worst, and the notion alone made her want to vomit.

"I-I'm fine," she managed to say, keeping her head down.

"No, you're not," he interjected quickly, standing up and pushing his chair in, "Come with me."

Rukia looked up, showing her red and puffy face, dark circles stained the skin under her worried eyes. When she realised that he was serious, she too stood up and followed him out of his office, walking behind him through various hallways and corridors until they reached a small staircase. She hesitated at the staircase, feeling it disrespectful for going into the captain's quarters, however, as soon as her grabbed her hand and gently tugged her up the stairs did she follow him, feeling both embarrassed for holding his hand and nervous for being in his personal area, she shot her hand back from his and kept her head down. She watched her feet shuffle as he led her down the hall and through a door; only then did she look up and see that she was in a small but tidy kitchen. She caught the soft fragrance of tea as she stepped further into the room, camomile she reckoned though she really didn't know much about tea.

"Please sit down," he asked, indicating to the chairs or stools with his hand before promptly leaving through the same door, leaving her with her thoughts.

She sighed as she surveyed her surroundings, a standard small kitchen, a table, breakfast bar, everything one would need really, and it seemed cosy, but it did little to quell her nausea. She put her head between her hands, thinking of a plan of action. She realised that she could stay at the barracks until the whole thing blew over, her brother and sister would get over the argument, explain things to the elders, and everything would be fine. No matter how much she went through this in her head however, she knew that it wouldn't nearly be that easy.

After a short while her captain came rushing through the door again, carrying what appeared to be flannels, towels and bottles of liquid. She watched as he passed her a large towel and placed hair products on the table in front of her.

"What's this?" She asked, her face pulling into a frown, as she looked at him, confused.

"Well I'd imagine you'd want a shower or bath right?" he asked, to which she looked down into her lap sheepishly, "So I've given you a towel, and some things to wash yourself with, and if you put your clothes in the basket outside the door, I'll put them in the wash and dryer and have them done in an hour. I put spare clothes in the bathroom that you can wear while your Shihakusho dries."

Rukia stood up, dumbfounded that her captain had arranged so many things for her. She shook her head; he should be resting or doing work, not running around after her like a mother. "I…"

"I'll show you to the showers," he said cutting her off, knowing that she was most likely going to tell him that she couldn't accept his kind offers.

She sighed as she followed him, he was being too kind to her, something which she doesn't deserve, seeing as she did burst into the barracks last night, interrupt his routine and eat all his food last night.

"I heard that sigh," he mock scolded her before chuckling to himself, "Seriously, don't worry about it. What kind of captain would I be if I refused to help my squad members?"

"A bad one? I guess…" Rukia replied with another sigh.

"Exactly," Jūshirō answered with a kind voice, opening the door to the bathroom as he did so, "Now this is the shower room for captains and vice captains and sometimes Kiyone and Sentarō use it too, so please use this one whenever you want a shower."

Rukia nodded, looking around at the various cubicles and sinks. It was certainly nicer than the squad showers she had used the once or twice, it wasn't full of random bottles of soap that people left behind for starters. The individual cubicles were larger and the walls and floor were tiled rather than having white wash walls and linoleum floors, giving it a much more clean and cosier effect.

"You can put your clothes in the basket," he offered, pointing to the basket by the door, "I can wash them for you."

Rukia nodded, giving up on arguing with him and thanking him for his kindness. She watched as he left the room, leaving her once more and prompting her to relinquish her clothes to the washing machine. She threw them into the basket before placing her towel on the heated rack and stepping into the closest cubicle, locking the door behind her. Luckily, the showers settings were the same as the ones in the squad bathrooms, so she was able to work the shower with little effort. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the door swing open, only calming a little as she saw her cubicle door firmly locked.

"I'm going to put these in the machine, ok?" her captain asked as he picked up the basket.

"Y-yeah, sure," Rukia replied, her heart still going ten to the dozen from the initial shock.

"You should relax more, Rukia," Jūshirō laughed to himself as he left the room.

She heard the door shut behind him, letting her loosen up a tiny bit as she stood under the hot jet. What would have normally scalded her skin, felt soothing today, she needed something to shake off the terrible uneasiness she was feeling. After hanging her head under the heat for a few brief minutes, she reached down for the bottles her captain had given her. She allowed herself another smile as she inspected them, noting the 'For long hair,' slogan printed on the side and the feminine design. She didn't recognise the brand, so she guessed it must have been from the living world, but wherever it was from, she sighed in a little contentment at the lovely scent it carried as she washed her hair with it.

"Seriously?" she asked herself in a quiet voice, shaking her head at how girly the products were. The fact that he conditioned his hair made her laugh to herself over how the products were more feminine that the ones she herself used. Having felt satisfied that she had rinsed the soap from her hair, she washed herself with the final product she had been given before rinsing off and turning off the shower. Stepping out of the heat, she quickly grabbed the towel to cover herself from the sudden cold and stood with her back against the radiator, slowly drying herself. After a few minutes, she walked over to the basket before peering inside and catching sight of some clothes that were not her own. She frowned as she picked up a cute t-shirt and a slimming pair of shorts, scrutinising them before dropping them in shock. Her bra had been left in the basket, but her panties were nowhere to be seen. She snatched it out of the basket, lickety-split, shaking it a few times in the hopes that her panties had been placed inside a cup. She quickly shook the clothes a few times, hoping that they may be in there, however, only a small scrap of paper fell out. She picked it up, reading it in her head:

_I've put your things in the washing machine, so please use these clothes while your uniform washes and dries. Don't worry, they're clean and they belong to my younger sister, so don't fret about using the things I have leant you, as I know you're going to anyway._

She placed the piece of paper on the cabinet next to her before looking at the clothes once more. How young was his younger sister? The clothes looked way too small, but the elastic waistline on the shorts quelled her worry a little, at least they'll stretch. She looked around on the floor, checking everywhere for her panties. She sighed; resigning herself to the fact that they were gone…but if they weren't here…then they must be…Rukia slapped her hands to her face as blood rushed to her cheeks, shaking her head in horror. Her captain must have put them in the washing machine with her uniform, which means not only did he see her panties, but he must have also picked them up and put them in the machine. On top of that trauma, he must have been her bra also, as it had been lying on top of her uniform as she had taken it off last. She sighed again as her blush refused leave her; she would never be able to look him in the face seriously again.

Looking back at the clothes once more, she sighed in defeat at the situation before she slipped on her bra and hooked it up at the back. She pulled the t-shirt over her head and pulled it down into a comfortable position before squeezing her petite body into what seemed to be a tight pair of shorts. She smiled in surprise however, the shorts were surprisingly stretchy and comfortable and the t-shirt fit quite nicely also, she must be a similar size to her captain's sister after all.

With her face still a blushing pink, she carried the towel she had used and the soaps she had been lent and exited the bathroom, letting the door swing behind her before walking back the way she came. She walked back down the corridor, shuffling her feet as she looked back and forth, trying to remember which door she needed. She stopped abruptly however as she heard her name being called down the hall. She turned round, getting back the small kitchen and keeping her head down the whole time.

"Feeling better?" Jūshirō asked, watching as she kept her eyes to the floor, a visible redness covering her cheeks.

"Yes," she squeaked a reply, nodding quickly before stretching her arms out towards him in an effort to give him back the things she had lent, "T-Thank you…"

"Anytime," he replied, taking the things from her and putting the soaps on the table before throwing the towel into the nearly full washing basket, "Are you ok?"

"I'm f-fine," she muffled, feeling even more embarrassed that she wasn't even wearing underwear, "Have you s-seen my…uh…um…"

Rukia trailed off, too embarrassed to say it, her fingers playing with the waistband of the shorts in an effort distract herself from out rightly asking.

"Your…?" He asked, frowning, as she was unable to form the words, her fingers continuing to play with the waistband.

"My um…p…p…" she tried, her toes curling against the floor in shame.

Jūshirō frowned, he couldn't understand what was so embarrassing, and what began with 'p' that she had had recently. Uniform, towel, soaps, underwear… "Pants?"

"Y-yes!" she squeaked as she looked down further, "Did you p-put them in the w-wash?"

"Yes," he replied, shaking his head with a smile at her embarrassment, "I put them in the wash, I thought you'd want some clean underwear for today."

"T-thank you," she replied, shuffling over to the table and sitting down, staring into her lap the whole time.

"Rukia, you don't have to be so embarrassed," he said gently, sitting down opposite her at the table, "I've seen girls underwear before, and I know about bras and that women have periods and all the things women get embarrassed about."

"Oh," Rukia replied, her voice barely above a whisper, surprised that her captain was so open about these kinds of things

"Well, I do date women and I have two younger sisters, so I'm used to things like this," he revealed, "But I can see why you are indeed embarrassed about this."

"No, it's ok," she replied, finally looking up at him now her face flushing a new shade of red as she locked eyes with him.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," he concluded, getting up and heading towards the oven, "Are you hungry?"

Normally, Rukia wouldn't have said anything, but a loud growl from her stomach betrayed her, much to her chagrin. She looked back down, wrapping her arms around her tummy as she admitted defeat, "Y-yes."

"I thought as much," he chuckled, opening the fridge and pulling out a bowl before placing it on the side. Rukia slowly looked up, watching as he pulled the covering from the bowl, grabbing a ladle and spooning some mixture onto a machine, the appliance hissing and spitting at the contact. He closed the lid before turning to Rukia, his back resting against the cabinet side, "Tea?"

"Yes, please," Rukia nodded, realising now how dry her throat was as her captain reached for a mug, pouring the hot tea from the teapot before handing her the full mug.

"It's only green tea," he laughed as she sniffed it and eyed it suspiciously, "Just a neutral taste, nothing too bitter."

She nodded as she sipped it, sighing in contentment as she quenched her thirst with the soft tasting tea before placing the mug on the table. She continued to watch as he grabbed two plates, placing them on the side before bringing several brightly coloured bottles down from the cabinet and placed them on the side. He lifted the appliance lid, smiling to himself as they were ready in time, reminding him to take one of the plates, shovelling two pieces onto the plate.

"Ok," he concluded turning to Rukia now, placing the plate on the table in front of her, "I've got strawberry, caramel, butterscotch, chocolate and toffee, take your pick."

"Waffles?" Rukia asked as she looked down at the streaming treats incredulously, how was he so organised and quick around a kitchen?

"Indeed," he confirmed, smiling at her puzzled face, "They' not hard to make, and you're going to need to eat something if you're going to help me train the new recruits today."

"Oh," Rukia said, with everything that was bothering her, she had completely forgotten about the training day. She enjoyed training the 'newbies' every year, often making a few new friends and getting some hard training done herself. It was one of the few times during the year that she would actually get to see her captain in action, his illness preventing him from to many practical training days. It always reminded her however that when he was pushing them all hard that he was still powerful, no doubt able to break a small girl like herself if he really wanted to, "I had forgotten about the training today." The washing machine rumbled particularly hard, diverting both of their attentions towards it before it stopped, several lights flashing on and off and a beeping noise sounding in the room.

"Yeah," he continued, walking to the washing machine and opening the door before pulling out her clothes and transferring them to the dryer and turning it on, the machine whirring into life as he keyed in the desired program. It was the dryer's turn to make noise now, as the clothes quickly spun in the drum, slowly drying as they continued their conversation, "So I need you at your best today."

She nodded, knowing that it wasn't fair to either her captain or the new recruits if she wasn't at her best because she was letting personal reasons get in her way, "In that case, I'll take chocolate."

"The classic," Jūshirō nodded in approval before passing her the brown bottle and a knife and fork, returning to the appliance to spoon more mixture onto the heat.

Rukia shook the bottle up and down a few times, churning the contents prior to flipping the cap and squirting some onto the waffles, unable to hold a little giggle back now. She had heard the rumours about her captain, Rangiku saying on occasion how gay he is, or how he seems fairly camp. The more Rukia looked at it, the more she could agree with the well-endowed lieutenant, the feminine hair products and cupboard of childish ice cream and waffle sauces was enough to indicate this, but the cooking and cleaning too? It was enough to convince Rukia, but he had said that he liked women, right?

"What are you laughing at?" Jūshirō asked, a smile on his face, relieved to see that she had cheered up substantially.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, unable to contain a little giggle now. It wasn't even funny, she couldn't care less if he was indeed gay, bi or straight, but the feminine products certainly tickled her somewhat.

"Come on," he pushed, genuinely curious as to what was so funny, "What ever it is, it won't worry or offend me."

"It's just something Matsumoto said," she replied, brushing it off as if it was nothing.

"What did she say?" he asked, turning to her once more as she cut off a piece of waffle and placed it in her mouth.

"Nothing important," she replied with a full mouth as she reached for her tea.

"Rukia," he pressed, a hint of laughter tingeing his voice, "As your captain, I am asking you to tell me, if you still refuse I will find a way to make you tell me…"

"How?" Rukia challenged, her mind fully distracted for the first time in days.

"You'll see," he replied mysteriously, "But I'll increase your paperwork by ten fold for starters."

"No way!" Rukia groaned, although she was too embarrassed to tell him about the whole camp thing, ten fold paperwork was worse than any other method he may have of getting her to tell him.

"Way," he replied with a laugh, taking his own waffles and putting them on a plate, "So what did she say?"

"She said…" Rukia replied, shovelling waffle into her mouth in an effort to stall her reply.

"Yes?" Jūshirō prompted, taking a seat opposite her and squirting a sweet sauce onto his breakfast.

"Well…" Rukia continued, suddenly drawn to the particular sauce he was using, "How can you eat that?"

"What?" he asked, a little confused now, "Caramel?" Rukia nodded, a frown forming on her face, "I like ridiculously sweet things. I always have, and I probably always will. So what did Lieutenant Matsumoto say?"

"It's just…" Rukia said, laughing as she managed to blurt it all out, "The hair products and the cooking and cleaning and the sweets and…well…pretty much everyone thinks you're gay, or incredibly camp. Not that there's northing wrong with that! Gay men are lovely people too!"

Jūshirō sat stunned for a few seconds before laughing at her, "You think I'm gay?"

"Aren't you?" she asked softly, finishing up her tea.

"No, definitely not," he assured her, "I get those hair products because they're better quality than most of the ones we have in the Soul Society, also, my family do come and visit me here sometimes, and they like to use those products too. As for the sweets, I said I have a sweet tooth and again, my family like to eat them when they're here. It may seem 'camp' or something but, no, I'm straight."

Rukia nodded, agreeing that those were perfectly valid reasons for doing what he did, "How old is your sister?"

"Which…one and why?" Jūshirō asked slowly, frowning as she why she would ask such a personal question about his family. He took a mouthful of waffle as she looked at him in disbelief.

"There are several?" Rukia asked, surprised by her captain's family numbers.

"Yes," he revealed, "Two of them in fact, along with five brothers."

"Wow," Rukia replied, genuinely surprised by the news, "That's a lot. Is that why you're good at cooking and cleaning?"

"Yes," he nodded, "I used to take care of them every day until the second oldest brother was more than old enough to take over, meaning I could devote more time to my squad. So I used to make meals and do laundry and things for my siblings."

"And you're the oldest?" she continued.

"Yes," he said curiously, "Why all the questions?"

"I'm just curious," she replied genuinely, "How old is the sister whose clothes I'm wearing?"

"Oh, the oldest sister," he explained, "She's sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Rukia exclaimed, the clothes looked way too small for a sixteen year old, "She must be really small."

"But so are you," he pointed out with a laugh as she pouted, she obviously wasn't too fond of small jokes, "And no, she's taller than you. Actually, we're all more on the tall side than short, our parents were tall so I guess it fits really."

"I-I'm not short!" she protested, folding her arms under her small chest.

"Compared to me you are," he pointed out again, "I mean, I could pick you up with one hand and sling you over my shoulder with no effort whatsoever. I still do that to my sisters sometimes to wind them up, it's quite funny to see them try and get back down."

"I doubt it," she muttered, looking towards the dryer to see how much longer it would take.

"So, since you've asked me a load of questions," he continued, his voice gentle now, "I want to ask you some."

Rukia stiffened, knowing what he was going to ask, seeing as he had been asking for a while now, but then, he had been honest and open with her, so shouldn't she share the same outlook? "Yes?" Her voice hesitant.

"Well," he started, trying to phrase it in the nicest way possible, "I know captain Unohana is worried about you, and I'm certainly worried about you. I know there's something wrong because it's not every day that you throw yourself through the front door crying and out of breath because you were running from something."

"How did you know I was running from something?" she asked quickly, looking up at him in shock.

"I could feel your reiatsu increasing in strength at a very fast rate, I've never felt your reiatsu going that fast before. What were you running from?" He explained, getting up to refill both of their mugs.

"N-Nii-sama," Rukia revealed, her voice small as she brought her knees up on the chair, hugging them to her chest.

"Byakuya?" Jūshirō asked in amazement, pouring the tea into both mugs, "Were you playing extreme tag or something?"

"No," Rukia continued, "I…I…fled from the mansion and he followed me."

"What?" he asked in disbelief, looking round at her now, "Why did you flee?"

"It's just that…" she sighed, hoping that she wouldn't sound pathetic, "I caught them arguing again. And I think it's because of me…"

"Because of you?" he asked, passing her another mug of tea before sitting back down, "What makes you think that?"

"I overheard them talking about me at breakfast," she replied, looking up at him now, "And I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I didn't want to interrupt them and they heard me outside so that made them a little angry at me, I guess. And then when I returned back to the mansion, my sister was shouting at Nii-sama, something I've never heard before and I think the yelling was about me."

"O…k," Jūshirō said slowly, musing over the issue, "Although this is a little concerning, it may not be as bad as you think it is. I'm sure your sister and Byakuya argue more than you think, it's natural for couples. Also, maybe they seemed angry because they didn't want you to hear what is bothering them; it's understandable if they want to keep their affairs private. As for them talking about you, have you thought that maybe they're planning something that they don't want you to know about? It may not necessarily be a bad thing, maybe it's something to do with your birthday or maybe a room re-decoration?"

"If it was something like that, I wouldn't be worried," she agreed, stiffening, almost afraid to utter out her next words for fear they might be true, "But they were talking about…a child…and that I…I am the best o-option they have…"

Being a captain, incredibly intelligent and also quite a logical person, it took Jūshirō no more than four seconds to put two and two together. He froze, coming to the same conclusion Rukia had, a nervous feeling growing within the pit of his stomach, they wouldn't? Would they? He put the pieces of information together, raking his brain for anything he may of missed. The more he thought about it, the more is began to make sense: Hisana's increasing trips to Retsu, a melancholic look on her face after every appointment, her and Byakuya's various 'trips' to the living world, more and more Kuchiki family meetings that he had heard about through Rukia and arguments of children and Rukia's name cropping up, her being the best 'option' available. He looked over at Rukia who was looking at him hopefully, searching his face for any other answer than the one he had.

"I…I'm worried that…" she tried to say, seeing his face pale a little.

"Rukia," he cut her off, he didn't even know where to begin. Should he confirm her fears? Lie to her? Put it in the best light possible? No, this was something that could not be sugar-coated nor lied about, it had to be explained in its bluntest form, even if it hurt or scared her, "You know that you're always welcome to stay or live here. If you need space or somewhere that you can feel safer, or need to escape somewhere, there is always here. I'm certainly not going to let anything get to you in here, and I know that captain Unohana has spare rooms if you want to go there too."

"So…" she managed to say, her voice shaky as she was on the brink of tears, "D-do you…think…"

"I sincerely hope not," he replied, his voice sombre and his face straight.

"I…" she started, tears threatening to fall at any moment.

"CAPTAIN!" came the shouts of two people from outside, distracting Rukia and Jūshirō from their conversation.

"I feel a headache coming on," he groaned as he got up, taking Rukia's plate from her and picking up his own before depositing them into the sink.

"Captain! Captain!" They could hear Kiyone cry from the corridor outside, her voice becoming increasingly loud.

"Shut up, Kiyone!" Sentarō yelled at her, his voice also becoming louder by the second, "I was there first!"

"No you were not! Captain, captain!" she argued, knocking on the kitchen door loudly, her and Sentarō practically breaking it down.

"He said that…" he started, opening the door, despite Jūshirō not even saying they could come in.

"No, she said…" Sentarō quibbled, tumbling over Kiyone as she burst open the door.

"You know one of these days, guys," he addressed them as they stood in the doorway, their eyes wide at the scene, "I'm going to put a lock on every single door in this building, maybe then, I could get some peace."

Kiyone and Sentarō both looked from their captain to their lieutenant and back several times, noting how their captain looked like he was entertaining thoughts of skinning them alive and their lieutenant was casually dressed in her own clothes, leisurely eating breakfast.

"We didn't mean to disturb your date…" Kiyone said solemnly, getting up now.

"Congratulations to the both of you, captain and lieutenant," Sentarō continued, also getting up to stand beside Kiyone.

"We just wanted to let you know that the recruits have been waiting for ten minutes," Kiyone concluded before the two of them dashed off, giggling and full of newly found gossip to spread.

"D-date?" Rukia squeaked, her face turning bright red as she looked down into her lap again.

"Ten minutes?" Jūshirō asked himself, both of them in completely different worlds now, "What time is it now?" He looked at the timer on the oven now, nearly cursing out loud at how late they were, "Wait a minute," Rukia looked up at him now "…Date?"

Rukia watched as her captain flash stepped out of the room, presumably going to catch up with Kiyone and Sentarō so he could wring their necks at their cheek.

xxxxxxx

"Ok," Jūshirō said loudly to the new recruits, pointing at the far end of the training grounds, Rukia standing next to him in her now clean and dry uniform, "I want you all to split into four groups, group one in the far right corner, group two in the front right corner, group three in the far left corner and group four in the front left corner. Kiyone will be taking group one, Sentarō on group two, Rukia on group three and myself will be training group four. When you go into your groups, we'll taking registration to make sure everyone is here and your group number. Also, don't start thinking that group four will have a better training session because I'm taking that one, we'll be switching the group leaders everyday to give everyone an equal opportunity." He nodded to Kiyone and Sentarō, who sprung into action, splitting people equally into the four groups and sending them to their designated space.

"Try not to think about it," Jūshirō advised, walking with her now to the far end of the training field, "It'll put you off the training, something you enjoy. I think…that you should stay at the squad for a bit…just until things calm down."

She was about to agree when he stopped suddenly, forcing her to stop also as she looked up at him, "What is it?"

"Lady Kuchiki, it's lovely to see you again," Jūshirō greeted, turning towards the figure that was heading towards them. He looked down at Rukia, seeing how she had frozen on the spot, fear painted on her face. He knew what was coming, and part of him wanted to tell Hisana to leave his barracks and wait for Rukia to face up to this, but he knew he had no place in doing so, and this wasn't even any of his business.

"And you, captain Ukitake," she greeted him, peering round to look at Rukia who seemed to be hiding behind his tall form.

"And to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" he asked with a smile, feigning ignorance.

"I would like to speak with my sister please, there is a very important matter to discuss," Hisana revealed, nerves growing within her, what if she said no?

"With all due respect, Lady Kuchiki" Jūshirō started, his voice soft and humble as he indicated to the many recruits on the training field, "This is one of the busiest days of the training year and I need Rukia's help very greatly. Perhaps you could talk at the end of the day when she returns back to your home?"

"I'm sorry to disrupt your training but I won't need her for too long," Hisana replied, her voice a littler firmer now, "It's a Kuchiki family affair that is on the elder level of importance, it is imperative that I speak to her now."

Jūshirō internally sighed, there really was nothing he could do, the Kuchiki family was much higher in the nobility rank than him and he couldn't interfere in their affairs.

"Of course," he agreed, defeated, "We can manage a few hours without her, I'll take you to a private room within the barracks where you can talk."

"Thank you," Hisana said with a smile, following her sister and the captain as they walked side by side towards the barracks.

Jūshirō wanted to do something, anything to comfort Rukia as they walked back to the main building, her face pale and her movements rigid, but he knew that showing any form of tactility in front of Hisana would be too far. For one, Rukia was a Kuchiki, so she could only be shown intimate tactility by her own family or by the noble man she should marry, not that Jūshirō would be intimate with her, but a hug would have been much appreciated from her. Not only that, but in the open like this, he couldn't really comfort her, lest someone suspect something. He opened the door of the main building, holding it open for Rukia and Hisana to go inside before closing it and going in himself. He led them to one of the meeting rooms, sliding open the door and indication for Hisana to make herself comfortable.

"I'll get you ladies some tea," he suggested, "Rukia, could you help me carry some things, please?"

She nodded, following him to the kitchen and standing beside him at the counter. She watched as he grabbed two mugs, putting them in front of her before sifting tealeaves into a strainer and heating hot water on the stove.

"It'll be ok, Rukia," he said to her quietly, making her jump at the sudden noise, "It might not be what we think it is, I'm sure your sister will explain everything and it'll be ok."

Rukia nodded, a horrible feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, nerves and anxiousness filling her small heart, she didn't realise how much she was trembling until he put his hand on her back soothingly, trying to stop her from shaking so much.

"I understand if you don't want to tell me what your sister says to you," he continued, taking the water off the stove as it boiled, "But if you want to talk about it, I'm always here, and if you need to go an do something, I can go with you. If you need to talk to captain Unohana or anything at all, you don't have to go through this alone."

She nodded again, taking the packet of biscuits that he handed her while he poured the hot water into the mugs, letting the tea infuse into the water. He reached up to a high shelf, grabbing a tray and setting the tea onto it, pulling out the strainers and putting them in the sink.

"You'll be ok," he said, picking up the tray and leading her back out of the kitchen and into the meeting room.

"Thank you," Hisana spoke softly, shifting a little as Jūshirō placed the tray in front of her and Rukia sat down opposite her.

"Rukia," Jūshirō addressed her before turning to leave, "If you could join us on the training field once you've finished, it would be much appreciated."

She nodded, watching as he left, almost begging him to stay internally and hating herself for her weakness.

"Rukia," Hisana turned to her sister now as captain Ukitake left, seeing the fear in her sister's eyes, "Don't look so scared, Rukia, I'm not going to yell at you or argue with you."

Rukia nodded, taking in what her sister said, though it did little to nothing to quell her fears, "W-what is this about?"

"I'm sorry that you heard us disputing last night," Hisana said sincerely, lifting the mug to her lips before taking a sip, "It was something I wanted you to never experience. Byakuya-sama also didn't mean to scare you like that. After he saw you run away, he wanted to catch up with you so we could discuss something with you, but he knew you'd be coming here and decided to leave it until today."

"It's ok," Rukia replied, looking down into her lap as she did not want her sister to see how nervous she was, "I just didn't want to disturb anyone so I came here."

"There is a serious matter that I wish to discuss with you," Hisana said, getting straight to the point, "The elders have already agreed to it as well."

Rukia stiffened and she could have sworn she felt her heart skip a beat; the elders had already sanctioned it? "Y-Yes? What is it?"

"Byakuya-sama and I…well," she started unsure how to phrase it correctly as she looked at her sister, internally praying that she would agree. No one would understand how much she wanted this, and even though it was torture to have to ask her sister of this, there really was no viable option, "Since we've been married, nearly five years now, we've been trying for a child, not only because we want a child but also to ensure the Kuchiki line."

"Ok," Rukia replied, a little confused, "I don't understand how…"

"I can't have children," Hisana confided in her, her voice shaky as she bit back bitter tears, Rukia wide-eyed from surprise, "The elders still want an heir though. I've been having weekly treatments, monthly treatments and most types of help for a long time. We've even been seeking help in the living world, taking extended visits to use fertility clinics there. This was until the elders ruled that since we've been trying for too long, other options have to be used."

Rukia nodded slowly, it all made sense now, her sister's weekly 'sewing class,' her brother's 'missions' in the living world, the elders meetings, so…they really did want her to produce the heir…she shuddered, even the thought of getting pregnant was enough to make her feel ill…no…she couldn't do it even if she was begged, "What other options did they suggest." She kept her voice sombre yet curios, feigning ignorance.

"The elders suggested a concubine," Hisana was truthful, if she was going to ask Rukia to do this, she should at least be truthful, "But neither I nor Byakuya-sama were happy with that, so I suggested that…you do it…bear the heir…to which the elders agreed."

"Me?" Rukia asked, her face paling as her voice barely audible, she had known this was coming of course, but to hear it being confirmed by her beloved sister still made her feel as terrified and disgusted as she first put two and two together, she had just hoped that she came to five, "I…I can't…"

"But you can," Hisana urged desperately, reaching across the table and taking her sister's hand in hers, hope fading fast as worry filled her, what was she to do if she said no? "You may be able to have children unlike me, you can do this! I've wanted a child for so long and knowing I can't have them is heartbreaking. I wanted to adopt, but the elders need a Kuchiki heir, and we all agreed that the baby would at least resemble Byakuya and myself since our features are very similar, no other noble families need know that the child was never mine. I never wanted to ask you of this, Rukia, but I have no other choice. Brining a concubine into the family would make things more complicated, not to mention she would be placed in special care, meaning that I could never see how the baby was coming along or possibly start a binding process…but…if you do it, I'll always be there to comfort you, talk you through all the stages and help you with this."

Tears threatened to stream down Rukia's red face, she felt so torn; she could see the desperation in her sister's voice and face, but she couldn't do this! It wasn't just having the baby, she knew that would be the easiest part; it was the sleeping with her own brother part that she couldn't stomach. How could she possibly do that? The thought of it was gross, making her feel dirty and sick; besides, Nii-sama hated her, so how would he do it? Unless…he too had already agreed to it?

"W-what did Nii-sama say?" she managed to whisper, disgusted at herself for even thinking about it even a tiny bit.

"He agreed…reluctantly," Hisana revealed, giving her sister's hand a comforting squeeze, "I know this isn't the ideal situation for anyone to be in. I don't want it to be like this, Byakuya-sama certainly doesn't and I know that you don't, but it's the only option available. I know it may seem scary now, but there really isn't too much to it, you'll most likely only need to try a few times and once you've conceived a child you'll be given lots of relaxing treatment to ensure the baby is healthy and it'll be all over when you have it."

"I…" Rukia tried, faltering as she looked back at her sister, the same desperation etched on her face. She looked down, thoroughly torn about what she should do. She owed her sister so much, if it hadn't been for her, she wouldn't even be alive to do this. Her sister had raised her, kept her from starvation, made clothes for her, kept her alive. Her sister had even convinced Nii-sama to break the rules again and adopt her, forever pulling her from poverty and giving her an opportunity of a lifetime: money, status, paid for education at the academy, a beautiful home with endless training pitches. Didn't she owe her sister this one thing? A child?

"I can't force you," Hisana truthfully pointed out, "No one can. I will never hold it against you if you don't do this…and don't feel you have for whatever reasons you may be thinking…I'm asking you as a sister and as a friend…please…"

Rukia groaned, Hisana was practically begging her. Was it her duty as a sister to do this for her older sibling, after she had done so much for her? She felt terrible for her sister; she couldn't even imagine how it must feel to have your basic function as a woman taken from you? She couldn't even complete her family with her husband, and even though Rukia knew nothing about love, husbands or children, she now knew that this has been deeply hurting her sister for a long time. But she couldn't do this. She couldn't go through with act of sex and then carrying a baby that belonged to her brother, a product of incest. She could get pregnant from one try right? Rukia did know a little bit about sex, that the man entered the woman and moved a few times, but most of what she knew was based on her own fantasies that she sometimes went into. A strong man kissing and taking care of her as they made sweet amazing love that usually only existed in romantic fairytales. There was nothing about pregnancy or childbirth in those fantasies of hers, so she didn't even know if she could get pregnant on her first try. She knew she was naive, and she wanted to stay that way until she was ready, but the overwhelming guilt that she had currently outweighed her nerves and disgust for this, perhaps she could even delay if for as long as possible, by which time another arrangement is made? Hisana had given her the gift of life by keeping her alive, so Rukia felt indebted to do the same, by performing her duty to her sister and giving her life.

"Y-yes," she whispered, looking down in her lap as she tried to hold back the tears of misery, she knew that she would have to go through such torment for her sister.

"Thank you!" Hisana said sincerely, relief washing through her as she shifted to embrace her sister. The only other time Hisana had felt so thankful to another person was when Byakuya had asked her to marry him, and now with Rukia agreeing to help her with something she has wanted for such a long time, she felt that no amount of words could ever convey her full gratitude. She felt so glad that she wanted to cry in happiness, however, she genuinely pitied her sister for the situation she had just placed her in, "I'm so sorry to have to ask you to do this. It's not what anyone wants. I know you don't like the elders, but producing the needed heir will catapult you to a higher status than myself and the elders will give you so much more, like more access to the family funds, more freedom, the ability to chose things for yourself, even influence regarding decisions."

Rukia hugged her sister; maybe these were the only good things about this situation? Finally paying off her 'debt' to her sister and not feeling like the commoner they always see her as, she hated the way they treated her and viewed her, but with this baby, she can finally feel happy in the Kuchiki household. What would her friends say? Would she still be able to hang out with them if she had a baby? Would they want to still be her friend if they knew she had slept with her own brother? Would her captain or friends in the squad be disgusted with her?

"I can't tell you how much this means to me," she continued, tightly hugging her sister, "Thank you so much."

Rukia nodded, desperately trying to hold back tears, "I'm doing it for you. Not the elders, but because you did so much for me when I was a child."

"Thank you," Hisana repeated, releasing her sister now. She hadn't wanted Rukia to do it because she felt obliged to do it, she had also know that she wouldn't have wanted to do it out of free will, but she had hoped her reasoning would be her willing duty to the Kuchiki family. She stood up, patting her Kimono of any dust or dirt "I must inform the elders of your decision. Will you be returning to the estate tonight or staying here?"

"I think I'll stay here," she decided, keeping her vision away from her sister, she couldn't bear the thought of running into Byakuya any time soon, "I'll pick up some things from the house that I'll need here, later this afternoon."

"Ok," Hisana agreed, "I understand you need some space to get your head around things. Also, I suggest speaking to captain Unohana, she can talk you through things and tell you everything you'll need to know about the pregnancy and things. I'll send her a message that you want an appointment. Again, thank you, so much Rukia."

"Ok," Rukia agreed with a nod, watching as her sister disappeared out of sight, presumably to contact the Kuchiki elders.

Jūshirō looked up from the recruit training as he felt Hisana's already weak reiatsu grow fainter and fainter as she left the barracks, prompting him to go and pick up his lieutenant. He flash stepped to the main building, running along the corridor until he reached the meeting room that Rukia and her sister had been in. He slowed down as he reached the room, not wanting to startle Rukia as he slid open the sliding door.

His cheerful face fell however as she looked up at him, silent tears running down her red cheeks.

xxxxxxx

It had been a few days since Hisana had broken the news to Rukia, during which she had little accomplished, the feeling of shock and nerves controlling most of her actions. She had decided to stay at her room in the squad, feeling that the distance would help her prepare for the inevitable and help her distract herself with work.

Her captain had tried to keep her as cheerful as possible, and she tried visiting Ichigo and Renji, but it didn't really distract her from the constant worried feeling she had. Of course she never told her friends the real reason as to why she was a little melancholic, but blaming it on work instead.

As expected, Rukia received a message from captain Unohana, explaining that she should come to her office to talk about everything that she would need to know. Feeling instantly scared, Jūshirō had suggested he accompany her and wait for her in the waiting room, which is exactly what he did, despite her protests.

"Rukia," Retsu called from inside her office, opening the door to greet her, "You can come in now."

Jūshirō stood up, tugging an awkward Rukia with him and pulling her towards the door. She followed him slowly, giving a weak smile to Retsu as she entered her office.

"Retsu," Jūshirō started, standing by the door, "Could I talk to you for a few seconds?"

"Sure," she agreed, turning towards Rukia now, "Take a seat, Rukia, I'll be with you in a few seconds." She nodded, sitting down in the seat opposite the desk.

"What is it?" she asked turning to Jūshirō as she shut the door behind her.

Jūshirō met her gaze with a grimace, immediately getting to the point and speaking quietly in case anyone were to overhear, "We both know why she's here…she told me what her sister asked of her and she doesn't deserve this, no one does in fact. I want to help her, but I don't think there is anything that can get her out of this situation. It's just…the whole ordeal…she isn't ready for anything like this, I'm pretty sure she hasn't even had a boyfriend yet."

"She isn't ready, you're right. I feel so incredibly sorry for her," Retsu agreed, also sporting a grim face, "I've pointed out many times to Hisana but, since she can't have children and the elders want an heir…Rukia was picked for the job."

"It's unfair," Jūshirō protested, this is not only going to physically scar her but mentally too, "How is she going to have a relationship after going through this? It wouldn't surprise me if she never trusted men again."

"I completely agree," Retsu continued, "But I know she feels indebted to her sister and I think if she said no, she'd never forgive herself."

Jūshirō nodded, seeing Retsu's point, "I'll try and talk to her, maybe she might want to tell me what she's feeling."

"Good idea," Retsu agreed, "She seems to listen to you more than she does me."

He nodded again as Retsu gave a bleak smile, opening the door again and slipping inside as Jūshirō went and sat back on a chair in the waiting room.

"Rukia," she greeted the small girl in a loud, cheerful voice, making her jump a little, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok," she lied, shifting a little in her seat, her hands clasped together in her lap.

"How are things in the squad?" Retsu continued, trying to put the girl at ease a little more, "Captain Ukitake told me that you've been doing well in helping him to train the new recruits."

"Things are fine," she replied with a nod, nerves creeping into her voice, what was Unohana going to say or do? "I enjoy training days."

"That's good," Retsu pointed out cheerfully, "It's a good thing that you enjoy your work and get along well with your squad." Rukia nodded again leaving a long awkward silence that prompted Retsu to start asking what she needed to, "I'm going to ask you a few questions, I know that they may seem very personal, but I need to know because you may need to get treatment or help. They're all straight-forward questions. Is that ok?"

Rukia stiffened; she hated answering personal, probing questions that left her feeling awkward, but she knew she had to answer them, "Yes."

"Good," Retsu concluded, picking up a form and a pen and placing in front of her on her desk, "Ok first question, nice and easy, do you currently have a boyfriend?"

"No," Rukia answered truthfully, the question not being to personal to answer.

"Excellent," Retsu continued, writing it down, "It means that any boyfriend you may have had won't be affected by this. We wouldn't want broken hearts too! Ok, next question, a little more personal, I'm afraid, are you a virgin?"

"Y-yes," she replied, keeping her voice down, embarrassed by the question.

"We won't have to have a physical exam to check for STDs or infections then," Retsu carried on, also writing it down, "Ok, a little more embarrassing now, what do you know about sexual intercourse? Have you heard rumours or gossip, or even first hand accounts from friends?"

"Um," Rukia tried to say, her face turning bright red in embarrassment, she hung her head low, too ashamed to even look captain Unohana in the face, "I…I k-know that the…the guy's…

"Penis?" Retsu suggested, seeing her blatant embarrassment at talking about the male anatomy.

"Yes," she continued, "And it goes…into the woman's…"

"Vagina?" Retsu supplied, make that female anatomy too! "Ok, that's a good start. Do you know that a man has to thrust within the woman to generate stimulation to orgasm?"

"Wah!" Rukia automatically cried gripping her hands tight together in utter mortification of hearing such words, "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"No, it's quite alright," Retsu put gently, wanting to hug the girl for her innocence and shyness. It made her pity the girl even more; she couldn't even talk about sex, so how was she going to go through with having sex with Byakuya? "Take you time."

"Y-yes," Rukia said after a short while as she collected herself a little, "I did know…that a m-man had to m-move…"

"That's also good," Retsu continued, the more Rukia knew for herself, the better, "Do you know what foreplay is?"

"Foreplay?" Rukia repeated, shaking her head in confusion, her voice nervous as she guessed it be something bad, "What's that?"

"It's the name given to the preparation that usually takes place before sex," Retsu revealed, watching as her face became less confused, "It isn't essential for all couples to do this, depending on how ready to have intercourse."

"Is that like, kissing and stuff?" Rukia hazarded a guess.

"Yes," Retsu said, confirming the small girl's suspicions, "It's not just kissing though. Couples prepare each other by touching, usually through hand or oral stimulation. Which brings me to my next question, have you ever masturbated?" Rukia's face went a shade darker, if that was even possible, thoroughly discomforted by the personal question. "I'm not judging you, Rukia. It's perfectly normal to do it and it quite healthy for relieving stress and built up anxieties. It also raises your heart beat count as if you're exercising, which is always good for a healthy heart."

She looked up slowly, slightly comforted by the captain's words and the warm smile on her face, "Y-yes…once or t-twice…I…I don't have time and…and I become worried that I'll get c-caught…"

Retsu smiled at her bravery in telling her the truth, "And from those few sessions, were you able to orgasm?"

Rukia nodded, becoming ever so slightly more able to talk to her, "It took a long while…but I kept going and…yes…"

"Good," Retsu concluded, "Firstly, that's all for the very personal questions, you know a good amount and I'll tell you what you need to know for this. Secondly, if you're worried about getting 'caught,' I suggest spending some nights in a room in your squad. All the dorm rooms have locks, they're decently sized and the walls aren't made of paper, so you won't have to worry about anyone hearing you if you do want to indulge a little. There are also rooms here you can stay in, if you're not comfortable staying in your own squad."

Rukia nodded again, "I've started staying at my squad and I quite like it, it means I can always have work with me."

"Ok, I've got a few more questions," Retsu informed her, flipping the piece of paper over, "Just to find out when will be the best time for you and try to conceive."

Rukia stiffened again, fear creeping into her once more, "Ok…"

"Ok," Retsu started again, looking up to meet her gaze, "Is your period a standard twenty-eight day cycle?"

"Yes," she replied, trying to keep her mind of the inevitable by looking around the room. There wasn't much to look at however, a few shelves with academic journals and medical books, storage cabinets with various trays of instruments, an examining bed and some chairs, pretty standard doctors office, really.

"And when did you finish your last period?" she continued, writing down information.

Rukia thought for a few seconds, counting back the days in her head, using her fingers a few times to aid her, "About…a week and a…half ago."

"Right," Retsu said, taking in the information as she counted days on her desk-top calendar, "That would put at around day nine. Ok, ovulation for you would be between the thirteenth and the sixteenth, meaning that the best chances of conception would be between these days."

Rukia nodded suddenly feeling nervous, that wasn't very far away, how was she going to mentally prepare herself in time? "I will suggest this to your sister, telling her that these are the dates in which you must try to conceive. Right, now that is sorted, I'll talk you over the conception stage."

"What about the p-pregnancy stage?" she asked, shaking a little now.

"Let's not jump the gun," Retsu suggested in a calming voice, "We need to wait for you to become pregnant before we can go over the pregnancy and ultrasounds and things. Ok, so your knowledge of sexual intercourse is sufficient, no problems there. However, you will need to masturbate…touch yourself before the act. Given the nature of the situation, I highly doubt that foreplay is an option for you, meaning that you'll have to arouse yourself to a sufficient amount to make sure that you can physically have intercourse with as little problems as possible."

"Ok," Rukia agreed, realising that this was the only possible option, "Will it…hurt?"

Retsu inhaled sharply, she had hoped Rukia wasn't going to ask this question, but then how could she not? The girl was terrified stiff, it was obviously going to be the question most on her mind, "Intercourse is different for everyone. For some it's uncomfortable at first but not really painful as such, some girls feel no pain at all, and for some it can be quite painful. The more you go into this with a relaxed, open mind, the better. Stimulating yourself before hand will also help ease any pain you may experience. I know it may be difficult for you to relax over this, but you need to try and have an open mind, it really will help you."

Maybe it wouldn't be as painful as she thought? "Will I get pregnant on my first try?"

"Hopefully," Retsu said, brightening up her speech a little, "If you try between those dates, there's a good chance that you'll get pregnant on your first or possibly even second try. Again, the more you relax, the more your body will become welcoming for an embryo, putting yourself under distress is more like to provide a hostile environment for any potential foetus."

"Really?" Rukia asked hopefully, perhaps she would only have to do it once and they would be done with it, she would never, ever have to do it again.

"Yes," Retsu confirmed, "Now, if you do get pregnant, you obviously won't have your period. I suggest that you count every day until the day you expect your period, and if you haven't had your period a few days after your expected date, come back here and we'll give you a pregnancy test. Now, do you have any more questions, or have I cleared it all up?"

"No, I don't have any more questions," Rukia concluded, a tiny shred of hope nestled within her heart.

"Good luck," Retsu said sincerely, "I know it's going to be tough, but you can do it. With any luck, you'll get pregnant on your first try and you'll be on your way!"

"I hope so," Rukia agreed before thanking her and leaving her office, joining her rather grim looking captain.

xxxxxxx

It had been five days since Rukia had seen captain Unohana; making it currently the time that Unohana suggested she would be most susceptible to conceiving. As Retsu had explained, she had informed Hisana of Rukia's most fertile days, giving her time to prepare. Every day Rukia had gone over things again and again, telling herself it would be ok in the hopes that it would mentally prepare herself, but no matter what she told herself, or what her own captain or captain Unohana did little to quell her ever present fears. The only hope she had was she would get pregnant on her first try.

"Here," Hisana said, her voice quiet as she handed Rukia a small, thin book, keeping her eyes down, not wanting to see the look in her younger sister's eyes, "Read this, and prepare yourself, it'll help things run more smoothly."

Rukia hesitantly took the book, her hands shaking a little as she reached out for it, her heart pounding in fear and nerves. She looked at the book, 'The Count's Virgin," it read, and the picture on the front made no mistake about its contents.

"I…I d-don't understand," Rukia managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper, refusing to be broken at this stage and give in, "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Did captain Unohana talk about preparing yourself in certain places?" Hisana asked, surprised at her sister's innocence.

"Y-Yes," she replied, thinking about what Unohana had told her, "Do I have use this book?"

"Yes, it'll help things greatly. Also, when the time comes and the act happens, remember to keep your hands by your sides at all times, as well as the other things I told you," Hisana concluded, turning on her heels to head back to her room, only stopping briefly to fully look up at see Rukia's crimson face, "And…thank you…it means so much to me, that you're agreeing to do this for me."

Rukia trembled a little as she watched her sister head back to her own room, leaving her to trudge back to her own room, nerves running riot through her, causing her to feel sick already. Upon reaching her room, she gripped the book tightly, tears threatening to tumble down her hot face, who was she kidding? She couldn't do this. She had at least wanted to give her virginity to someone she was in love with, not to mention within a happy and loving relationship or even marriage. This was far from what she wanted, and she could bet that it wasn't what her brother wanted either. She slowly tuned back around, facing the door and gripping the handle, ready to tell her sister that she simply couldn't do it, she didn't have the strength to even think about going through with it.

"_And…thank you…it means so much to me, that you're agreeing to do this for me."_

She hesitated however, pulling her hand back off the handle, guilt washing over her now. She had promised her sister, promised to do this for everything that Hisana had done for her: raised her, fed her, clothed and watered her when she had virtually no money to even take care of herself. All her sister was asking was this one thing, a baby. Rukia knew it would be painful, conceiving, carrying and giving birth, but her sister repeatedly endured the pain of starvation when they were younger, at least Rukia would only endure each of these pains once. Maybe she would be lucky, and it wouldn't even hurt that much, and she would get pregnant on her first try right? Rukia nodded to herself, she knew she would probably get pregnant from this one try, Unohana had said that this was the right time for conceiving, so it would be easy, right? Walking back towards the bed and holding back the tears as she drew hope from herself, she refused to be broken by this. Lying down on the bed, she kept her evening robes on under the covers, flicking through the book and noting the turned down corners of the pages, ones that her sister had marked off for her. She grimaced as she turned to the marked off pages, dreading the embarrassment that this corny book would make her feel. She sighed, reading the first few lines and feeling a familiar feeling within her lower body, she felt embarrassed by the language of the book and incredibly nervous for what was to happen later but she soldiered on, her hand moving lower to rest on her sweet spot.

_Ayumi moaned against the handsome count's mouth, his tongue invading her mouth as his long fingers toyed with her clit, pulling, tugging, flicking as he lay over her. She could feel his hard penis against her hips, fuelling her desire for him even more; she needed him deep within her, lest she explode from need. _

"_Do you like it when your master teases you?"_

"Master?" Rukia said aloud, sitting up now and losing the built up stimulation, horrified that his woman gave herself to him to the point that he called himself her master. Did she have no backbone? Why would women read and take pleasure in this derogation of their own sex? She flopped back down, although this frustrated her, it also did its job in arousing her, much to her revulsion, wet heat gathering between the apex of her legs. Resigning herself to the fact that she had push on, she continued to stroke herself under the covers, desperately hoping that either this would work, of that her brother would not go through with it.

A few corridors down from Rukia's room, Byakuya was also reluctantly preparing himself for the inevitable, "I want to make love to you, my wife, not to my sister."

"I know," Hisana replied from the bed, perching on the edge, "But Rukia agreed to it and you know the elders expect a child from her now."

"Yes, but right now, I'd prefer the concubine," Byakuya argued, undoing the sash of his evening robes and standing opposite the toilet in the bathroom, the door ever so slightly ajar so he could hear his wife from inside the bedroom, "At least then I really wouldn't care what happened to her." He grabbed the bottle of lubricant from the side, ready to smear it over himself, however he stopped and sighed, he wasn't even hard, "I can't do this, I'm can't even get an erection right now anyway."

"Would you like some help?" Hisana asked, getting up from the bed and walking to the bathroom, pushing the door open to see her husband in all his naked glory. She smiled as she met him at his side, reaching up to kiss him and wrapping her arms around his neck. He more than happily reciprocated, picking her up and carrying her half-way to the bed, only to be stopped as she pulled back, looking up at him sincerely, "Byakuya-sama, you know we can't. You need to do this tonight, it's her peak right now and we can't miss this opportunity."

Growling in anger, he let Hisana go, placing her on the bed and walking back over to the bathroom, his manhood more than erect now. Grabbing the bottle once more, he squirted some onto himself, smearing it over his hardness as his hand worked himself back and forth. He released a tiny groan, all the sleepless nights he and Hisana had been having due to their arguments over this had left him stressed and tired. They hadn't made love in nearly two weeks, and he hadn't indulged himself in even longer, so he welcomed the intense stimulations he was giving himself, working closer and closer to the edge. After about a minute he knew a few more hard thrusts would get him there, and how he desperately wanted to come, not only for the release, but so he wouldn't have to go and fuck his little sister. He stopped himself however, prising his hand from himself, knowing that he would only have to go though with his once, maybe even twice but it would make not only the elders happy, but also his wife, the person who meant the most to him in the world, and that was enough to make him go through with it. He reached for the sink, washing his hands before drying them on the hand towel and slipping his robe back on, tying the sash up at his waist.

He walked back out of the bathroom, his aching member slowly softening as he walked towards the door, his wife already there to greet him. He followed her as they headed towards Rukia's room, Hisana taking his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze, "Just pretend it's me." She said softly, smiling up at him, the hope clearly showing on her face.

"Easier said than done," Byakuya pointed out following her as dread filled his heart. He knew that he didn't care for his sister nearly as much as he should, but he still knew that this was tough for both of them, and for her in particular. He just prayed she wasn't a virgin.

"Please try, for me," she stopped, reaching up to kiss him as they reached Rukia's room, "It'll be over soon enough." He kissed her back, groaning as she stroked his cock back to life from under his robe, getting him hard once more, in case he had any problems like that when he went in there.

"I love you," he whispered, knowing her happiness was more important, the only thing stopping him for not doing this.

"I love you too," she replied with a smile as she pulled away from their kiss. She turned, knocking on Rukia's door and waiting for a reply.

"Y-Yes?" came Rukia's shaky voice from inside the room, prompting Hisana to slowly open the door a crack, peering inside to see Rukia under a flurry of sheets, and the book still in her hand.

"Byakuya-sama will see you now," she replied before turning back to Byakuya and kissing him gently on the lips, smiling to him before walking back towards their bedroom, leaving the pair to continue with the proceedings.

Rukia quickly stashed the book in the drawer in her bedside-table, too embarrassed to even be seen with it. Her heart nearly stopped as she watched her brother enter her room and shut the door behind him, keeping his head down, his vision fixed on the floor. The feeling of arousal that she had been feeling not a few minutes ago was instantly replaced by the sick feeling of dread. Her heart had never beat so fast in her life, making her feel sick to her stomach as she trembled under the sheets. She quickly scrambled on top the sheets, making sure her robe was securely fastened, as her sister had instructed. She kept her head to one side, pressing into the pillow tightly as she clenched her eyes shut. She was breathing heavily; anything to stop her from throwing up or passing out, though the latter might actually help in the current situation. She froze as she felt the bed being pressed down on one side, presumably as Byakuya climbed onto the bed. She gripped the sheets, anything to distract herself from breaking down into tears, which she had luckily avoided so far.

Byakuya clambered onto the bed, his movements awkward as he observed her, the sight far from desirable. Her whole body was tense, her legs locked together and her hands stuck by her sides, the only part of her moving was her chest, which seemed to be taking in big gulps of air as she prepared for the worst. This was fine by him, she didn't want to touch him and he certainly didn't want her to touch him, neither did he want to touch her for that matter, but this was going to make things more difficult. Feeling his erection quickly going down, he knew he had to act fast or face incompetence and this whole ordeal never working. He didn't want to overly force her either, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her and possibly cause damage. Looking at her made him feel physically ill, and judging by the look on her face, she shared his feelings in the matter, she looked like she could throw up at any moment.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and imagining it was his beautiful wife lying beneath him, giving herself to him. Hisana's slowly declining health, something that Rukia also knew nothing about, meant that their love making sessions were increasingly becoming more vanilla, not that Byakuya minded, he loved making love to his wife, but there was a part of him that desperately wished for another flavour. Anything to make it a little raunchier would have been fine, even if she did something simple as wear some stockings during foreplay, but her health meant that she could never top and all Byakuya could do was give small gentle thrusts that would slowly work them both to orgasm, nothing too strenuous for his beloved. Byakuya wasn't complaining by any means, but sometimes he wished for a little more is all. It was on the rare times that he could experience the pleasures of his own hand, did he imagine his wife clad in something sexy, giving herself to him in a variety of different positions, and pleasured noises escaping from her mouth as he thrust hard and fast.

This was one such time; it was Hisana lying beneath him, not Rukia, but Hisana, wearing nothing but sexy stockings, her body ready and waiting for him to take her hard. He opened his eyes, constantly convincing himself that his fantasy was real, and it wasn't his sister below him, but his loving wife. He was glad that he was hard again, the scene in his head arousing him to no end. He sighed, coming back to the present for a few minutes, he couldn't do his job if Rukia was like that.

Rukia made a loud noise from surprise and nerves as she felt his hands on her legs, her first instinct was to kick him until he let go, but knowing that she would get kicked out of her home for that, she tolerated his long, cold fingers sliding in between her legs which were currently clamped together. She resisted as his both his hands tried to prise her legs apart, naturally trying to hide herself from him. Luckily for Rukia, her robe provided adequate coverage, he wouldn't be able to see her most intimate parts during the procedure and that's more than she could have hoped for. She reluctantly let him pull her legs apart, her womanhood still wet from her earlier efforts and well hidden underneath her robe. Byakuya took out the bottle of lubrication from his sleeve, squirting a more than generous amount into his hands and applying it to himself, under his robe, not caring if it smeared onto the fabric. He hissed internally at how good it was to touch himself again, he was still aching to release from earlier. Still clothed, he laid over her, resting on his forearms as he looked down at the pillow, the fantasy of his wife coming back to him now.

Rukia inhaled sharply as he lay over her now, this was it, and she knew what was coming. She hadn't opened her eyes since her entered the room, preferring to keep them clamped shut lest they betray her and spill tears down her face. Her nerves peaked as she felt something hard and hot at her most intimate space, prompting her to clutch harder onto the sheets, her legs threatening to close again, anything to stop him from entering her. She tried to think of something, anything, to distract her from the inevitable. Festivals in the living world, shopping with Orihime, play fighting with Renji, drinks with Matsumoto, training with her captain, dinner with Ichigo and his family…anything…failing this she tried to quickly think of anyone else, a guy she fancied? Yes, she was making love to a man she fancied, but the problem was that she didn't actually fancy anyone. The four most important men in her life were Ichigo, Renji, Byakuya and Jūshirō, surely she could fantasize about Ichigo or someone, but it really wasn't helping the situation, if anything, it was confusing her. She was dashed from her thoughts and confusion however as she felt her brother slowly push into her, making her whimper a little and mortifying her that she made yet another noise. She grit her teeth, feeling the burn and sting of the intrusion, intensified by her tenseness, making it nearly impossible for Byakuya to continue.

Byakuya slowly pushed himself inside, bit by but, she had only taken a few centimetres and she was already whimpering. Byakuya knew he wasn't overly massive; he was a little bigger than average, granted, but nothing that a woman couldn't take. He knew it would be difficult for Rukia though, she was half the size of him, and although Hisana was too, Rukia was far from relaxed and enjoying it, like his wife did, but then, it would be weird if she were enjoying it. She cried out a little more as he continued, causing guilt to wash over him, his fantasy his only relief. He groaned inwardly, even though he felt disgusted with himself, she was tight and wet around him and the lubrication he had applied earlier helped him to slide a little deeper. He groaned again, this time in frustration however, she was virgin tight, and something he had not wanted. Her tightness automatically felt incredible around his cock, but the pain both of them would feel from this would probably never leave them. Although it would only hurt him emotionally, it would hurt Rukia both physically and emotionally, and when the pain of having him inside her recedes, all that will be left on both of the are the scars of the event, forever painful and unable to be forgotten.

He sighed inwardly, it was now or never, and they had already come this far, so he may as well continue. For this first time in days, maybe even weeks, he turned his head to look at her face, seeing the pain and distress etched upon her pale face. He bent his head down, very close to her ear, providing her with the tiny bit of comfort he could offer.

"I'm sorry…" his voice was barely a whisper, and practically inaudible, but it was full of emotion: anguish, sadness, guilt and desolation, making Rukia open her eyes however as she heard him clearly, the first and last time she would ever hear such emotion from him.

She barely had half a second to take in these emotions he was presenting, before her bone-chilling scream shook the Kuchiki household, a noise that would never leave Byakuya for as long as he lived. The sudden pain of his hard thrust that fully forced himself inside her, hitting her at full force. He could almost still hear her screaming bouncing off the walls, and several corridors down, Hisana grimaced at the clear sound of her sister's suffering.

Rukia couldn't adjust to the pain, the burning, ripping, stinging pain, her whole lower body automatically clenched, trying to desperately force him back out.

He let her adjust a little, but her body refused to take him, and he could see she was desperately tying to thrash around in agony. He held as still as he could, her hot warmth clenching down on him, intensifying the stimulation for him, despite his disgust with himself. He wasn't enjoying it by any means, the fact that he was inside his own sister made him want to vomit, and he felt utterly disgusted with himself, and ashamed that he has done this to her. What he couldn't deny however was that, still, on the basic level of being a man, she felt incredible around the most sensitive part of his body.

Rukia needed to clutch onto something, the pain from his thrust refusing to ebb away, she gripped the sheets tightly, but she wanted to rip them, channel the pain down through the bed. She struggled to keep her hands by her sides as her warm tears swept across her face, falling onto the pillow in small splotches. She tried to keep as quiet as she could, but her whole body was screaming, crying out in pain as her physical and mental being rejected him. Byakuya groaned to himself, the only sound within the silent house was her cries and small whimpered screams, he couldn't do this, he knew she would have made a noise, who wouldn't have in that situation, but this was more than he could bear, her constant crying and that gut-wrenching noise she had made earlier echoed in his head. He knew he would hate himself even more for doing this, but it had to be done, just to put them both out of their misery.

Whether she was ready or not, he began to thrust, grateful he had not fully lost his erection. Under any other circumstance, he would have moved softly, gently helping her adjust to him, but he was not here to comfort her, help her, nor pleasure her, she was simply a tool that could be for providing an heir that so many people seemed to want. He thrust quickly, harder than he would with his wife, the roar of blood in his ears helping to mask the sounds of her crying.

Rukia's hand ached to dash between their bodies and continue to stimulate herself; she had never had a chance to release earlier, as Byakuya had been ready sooner than planned, not only did she ache to release but it would have been a tiny amount of pleasure in what was an incredibly painful and awkward situation. Rukia could see however why making love would be nice, the deep sensation of his thrusts were starting to take away the pain ever so slightly, but this was far from making love, it was her brother moving in an out of her in an attempt to impregnate her, not a loving situation with a man she loved and who wanted to pleasure every part of her body. One hand strayed for a few seconds, lifting up and slowly and edging closer to torso before she shot it back where it was, keeping if firm.

Byakuya was no fool, he knew where her hand had been heading, and he honestly couldn't blame her, at least it would make if feel a little better for her, if at all. He was close anyway; his ministrations earlier and the tightness of Rukia were quickly sending him over the edge. He lowered himself completely onto her now as she continued to cry loudly, closing the small gap that had existed not seconds ago, careful not to crush her. Her crying ceased a little, becoming loud whimpers now as she became increasingly confused, she could now feel his whole body covering hers, rubbing against her and…

"Ah," she accidently let slip as the movement of his body brushed against her sensitive spot, finally giving her the tiny amount of pleasure she needed. Her eyes shot open as her whimpers became sniffles, and although she couldn't bring herself to look at him, she stared up at the ceiling, the strangest need to hold onto him, is that what happened during sex? Did couples want to hold tight and never let go? But why was he doing this? They both knew that he didn't think fondly of her, did he pity her pathetic crying? Another particularly strong rub of Byakuya's body against her own pulled her back from her thoughts bringing her to the here and now.

Rukia's lack of crying and now slight pleasure helped push him over the edge, giving a few more even harder thrusts before finally tumbling over the edge, releasing deep within her, his pleasure at his release never once being vocalised or even shown on his face, he was impassive as he had been during the whole ordeal, and the only time he had ever shown emotion to was when he had apologized. Rukia winced as she felt something hot being pumped into her, thoroughly disgusting her as she held her own brother's sperm within her core. It made her feel dirty, degraded and used and she desperately wanted it and her brother out of her. She craved a shower and the safety of her room in the squad, the one place she could always be safe from abuse. She closed her eyes, turning her head back to the side.

He lay for a few minutes, trying to improve the chances of conception as his once thumping heart returned to its normal rate. He pulled out slowly after a while, mixtures of her own wetness, his cum, lubricant and blood staining his member, causing another wave of guilt washing over him. He heard Rukia hiss at the pain of him moving within her again, even though he was pulling out, it still didn't help the soreness she was now feeling. He sat up, tightening his sash again as it had loosened every so slightly before grabbing the bottle of lubricant, replacing it back into his sleeve and climbing back off the bed. He never said anything as he left; only hearing Rukia's ashamed cries once again before shutting the door behind him, walking briskly back to his room.

Rukia was desperate to get up and shower, anything to get that man's essence out of her body, but her sister had told her to lie down for a while, helping her chance of getting pregnant. She cried into her pillow as tried to ensure the success conception, feeling utterly alone. There was no one who could help her, they wouldn't understand and she could never talk to anyone about this, the shame would be too much to bear. Her whole body sore from the ordeal, she slowly let everything fade to black, finally passing out and blocking out the pain as she desperately hoped that she was carrying the next heir to the Kuchiki clan.

Hisana stood up from her perching position on the bed as Byakuya stormed through their bedroom door, her eyes widening as he said nothing to her, he didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence as he headed for the bathroom, heading inside and locking the door behind him, the first time he had locked the bathroom he shared with his wife since he married her. He turned the shower on, not caring if the temperature was hot or cold, standing under the strong jet and washing away his sins. He grabbed the soap, scrubbing his body raw with the accompanying body brush. He scrubbed the feeling of his bare sister's legs against his own away from him, the feeling of her hot tightness from his exhausted member, the sweat from his body and hair and finally, the soft fragrance of her body from his. He could still feel her presence on him as he turned off the shower, but he had washed his skin until bleeding in places, he just hoped the feeling would quickly fade over time. He wrapped a towel around himself before grabbing another one, drying his face and drying his hair a little. He picked up the night robe he had been wearing, the smell of sweat, Rukia, himself and sex emanating from it, prompting him to throw it in the washing basket, Rukia's earlier shriek of pain resounding in his head as he did so.

**A/N: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you hate me right now? Sorry, I didn't mean for it to be this dark, but again, I've been in a bad place recently and I wanted to be dark for a change.**

**I know what you're thinking: "Oh moon ash, how could you do this? Ruin the Byaruki? This isn't Byaruki, it's Rukitake! She's totally going to get with Jushiro!"**

**Right? Wrong! Well, not all wrong, but there will be some genuine Byaruki 'love,' can you call it love? I'm not sure, but it WILL get better, trust me…before I do something bad again, buuuut…I said it was a dark fic didn't I? But yeah, some 'nicer' Byaruki to come!**

**Anyway, WHHYYYYYYY Jushiro? WHYYYYYY?**

**Oh yeah, if you could review, that would be much appreciated as your last reviews helped me push all 15,344 words of this chapter out, yeah, well done reviewers, you rock! Thanks guys!**


	4. Crumbling Foundations

**A/N: Don't kill me! I know it's been a while but I've got something new in the works and I hope it'll make it up to you guys!**

**Thanks for reviewing the last chapter, I was very surprised that so many of you reviewed and that I made so many people cry…sorry about that…I am really happy that I was able to PM some people and talk because I enjoy talking to people about my ideas because it helps me define the plots and things like that. **

**Thanks to Vicky for the PM that you sent a few days ago, it made me finally think to finish this chapter! I was getting round to it, I was just writing my new ficlet, which is currently at 10k words. **

**Also, I've been filling out requests for the Kink Memes recently, because, I'm just that dirty, and I found a really good request that features my OTP3: Shunsui/Nanao/Ukitake with a slice of Rukia added in + 'her first time' foursome and I was like 'Challenge Accepted' I'm gonna get me a piece of that 3 Cue 20 page pwp response ;)**

**I don't own Bleach**

**WARNINGS: ANGST, not really much of anything else in this chapter really, bit of fluff maybe…**

Chapter Three

Crumbling Foundations

At seven o'clock in the morning, Byakuya would ritually awaken, even on the weekends, to start the day. Hisana would also happily slide of bed at this time, starting her day with his as she prepared herself for the tasks of the day. Showers and bathing would follow this, followed breakfast in turn and then Byakuya would head out to work, and on the weekends he would head out to train. Hisana would work on tasks that would relax her and put little stress on her body, piano playing, watering her favourite flowers, baking and recently captain Unohana suggested that she start knitting outside when it's warm, not only to relax her but to also keep ideas of motherhood in mind as she knit baby clothes. Every day, day in, day out, this same routine would follow, as it had done for years. The arrival of Rukia had been no different, she had her own routine, meaning that she would always get up later than them, rush for the shower, and speed through breakfast before hastily making it to her squad.

The past week however, the attitude at the household had been far from energetic, and a dark cloud hung over the mansion. The maids knew that Byakuya had been in a terrible mood for a while and they skittered away from him when he entered different rooms. A few of the more experienced maids who had been working for the family for years were happy to bet that the mood shift was linked to the night when Rukia could be heard screaming and crying, and all had been led to believe that she had had a nightmare…or so Hisana and Byakuya had told them when they had inquired about her wellbeing. Byakuya had been in terrible moods before, all had lasted around three days or so, but nothing had lasted this long and to this intensity.

Hisana was bearing the main brute of his passive aggression however, he still hadn't had a proper conversation with her since that night and he hadn't made any form of vocal noise that didn't consist of some form of accepting or denying grunt. She had asked him time and time again, pleaded even, for any form of feedback of sorts, how he was feeling, what his thoughts were, what he was planning, but, there was nothing. She realised that she couldn't even comprehend what was possibly going on in his head, but then, he had never been overly vocal, even before all of this happened, it was just in his character. It set a terrible mood in the house though, and Hisana detested the feeling of not knowing exactly where she stood, she wanted something, anything from him to set her at ease a little.

Rukia was no better, she had practically moved into her squad barracks the day after the incident, saying nothing to anyone and only returning for dinner out of formality once in a blue moon, giving some excuse that she had too much work and it made sense to squad. She heard regular updates from Rukia's captain when she inquired about her, which always made her feel a little better, she was worried about her and the baby she could be carrying, and she still wanted to remain close to Rukia, they were still sisters, after all. In her heart of hearts she seriously doubted that she would live to an age deemed worthy of appraisal, she seldom told her husband and sister when she would feel ill or dizzy, she didn't want to worry them and it would only put strain on their already stretched relationship. She knew that Byakuya had an extremely low opinion of Rukia, and despite her constant nagging; he had never made any attempt to repair the constantly degrading relationship. She had never asked him why he held such contempt for her younger sister, and although she was curious, part of her feared the answer. She wasn't jealous of her sister by any means but Rukia had so much more opportunity than herself, she wasn't bound by an illness and she more than likely could bear children, the very sole purpose of a woman. She couldn't even do that.

She had tried even harder to comfort Byakuya during the past few days, speaking to him in only extremely soft tones and making an effort to be more of a wife. She had laboured over some dark chocolate recipes one afternoon, hoping that it would show him that she was still there for him, but he had received them with a small mumble and taken them to his study room, she didn't even know if he had even eaten them. She even decided to offer him sex when she would have normally been too tired, but he had gently told her 'no' and turned over in the bed, leaving her disheartened and rejected. She just hoped that he would come around soon; he would have to if they were to create a relaxed atmosphere for Rukia's pregnancy.

In little over a week however, Byakuya noticed something that prompted him to have a proper conversation with his wife. It wasn't that he was avoiding his wife; he just didn't want to talk about the only thing that she only ever wanted to discuss recently. It had certainly become much easier since Rukia had moved into her squad barracks but he could still feel her presence, hear her cries of pain and he swore he could still smell her scent, so like Hisana's own unique scent, but sweeter, suffocating and sickening to him. Even after a week he could still catch the fragrance, no matter how much he bathed or changed his clothes, it had gotten to the point where he had all the maids meticulously cleaning Rukia's room to mask it a little. At this point however, it was finally fading, her noises, the feel of her body and everything that was lingering on from that night, he just hoped to god that she was pregnant, he would be damned if he was going through that again. He didn't even think that his skin could survive another round of hard scrubbing, the last of the sores were also disappearing with the memories.

He knew that Hisana was trying to go out of her way to make him feel special; he had eaten the chocolates she had lovingly made him and he hadn't denied her sex to spite her, he just had to get things straight and forget about what had transpired. He had first thought something was peculiar when he had gotten up one morning to go to work, and as usual Hisana had slid out of bed behind him, taking her dressing gown from the hook on the back of the door and pulling it over herself sleepily to keep warm. She had shuffled towards the bathroom door before stopping half way there and rubbing her eyes wearily, normal for someone who has just woken up.

"Actually," she said after a few minutes of trying to get her bearings, "I think I'm going to go back to sleep for a while, I'm still a little tired."

"Are you okay?" Byakuya asked outrightly, addressing his wife properly for the first time in eight days.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, looking up at him with a weak smile, "You can use the bathroom first, and ask the maids not to prepare breakfast for me, I'll sort something out later."

"Okay," Byakuya replied as he watched Hisana climb back into bed before heading to the bathroom, his voice remained calm despite the slight worry he was now feeling.

The only time that Hisana stayed in bed longer than him was if they had stayed up later than usual the previous night, and she only ever went back to bed when she was feeling under the weather. It was probably an oncoming of a simple cold, she had indicated when he had asked about her again, and he should not worry about her. He grimaced as he walked towards the bathroom; he was going to suggest some kind of ceasefire between them by inviting her to join him in the shower, an activity they rarely participated in anyway, but it would have provided a way to put their relationship back on track a little. He doubted that she would have agreed anyway, she just didn't like to shower with him, preferring to take time to herself and relax instead, and she would never even comprehend the thought of making love in the shower when he had suggested it once or twice, it just wasn't her; it was either the vanilla, missionary, on-the-bed sex or nothing. He shook his head as he closed the door behind him, now wasn't the time to be thinking about how standard sex with his wife was, she was probably coming down with something and he knew that he had to keep a watchful eye on her.

xxxxxxx

Kiyone and Sentarō looked up as Rukia emerged from her room, causing a distraction from their 'sucking up' routine as she slowly headed down the stairs to the main office, revealing a rather fragile looking girl as she slowly came into view. They immediately stopped squabbling and rushed over to her, choosing now to interrogate her about her recent strange activity as they cornered her.

"Are you okay?" Kiyone asked quickly.

"You've been in your room a lot lately!" Sentarō commented, pushing Kiyone out of the way.

"Yeah, why did you decide to move into the squad barracks?" Kiyone continued, smacking Sentarō in retaliation.

"I was here first," Sentarō argued, turning to Kiyone now and pointing at her accusingly.

"Was not!" she screeched back, "I asked her a question before you did! But, are you okay, Rukia?" Kiyone ignored her rival and looked back at Rukia now.

"I…er…" Rukia tried, too overwhelmed by them to say anything above a small squeak.

"I suggest you deliver those reports," came the loud voice of a higher authority from behind them, "Unless you want to find yourselves in captain Kurotsuchi's office lickety-split?"

"No, sir!" Kiyone and Sentarō cried simultaneously, turning to face their captain who was looking down at them seriously, using his much taller form to intimidate them a little. The pair scarpered; running out of the barracks in fear and splitting up to deliver reports to different divisions. They had heard the rumours about captain Kurotsuchi's squad, everyone who was sent there ended up in some twisted experiment or another and there were even rumours circulating at one point that the perverse captain had even bred his own daughter with hollows in an attempt to create some half-hollow half artificial human concoction-child. Obviously, Nemu had denied such rumours, claiming that her father had never done such a thing, but many were still skeptical. In short, his barracks had to be avoided at all costs, lest they end up in the captain's clutches, even horror books could be written on all the rumours of that captain for fuck's sake.

The departure of the two hyperactive helpers meant that Jūshirō could settle Rukia back into squad life and have a decent conversation with her. One morning last week, she had turned up early to the squad, a large bag in hand and an expression void of emotion. She had looked tired, the shadows under her eyes betraying her as she had said that she was fine and was simply looking to live in the barracks for a while. Jūshirō wasn't dense by any means, and given her current situation, it wouldn't take anyone two seconds to work out that she had gone through with the Kuchiki elder's plan the night before. Jūshirō had winced when she had come through the office door, he couldn't even begin to imagine how appalling it must have been for her. He had tried to comfort her, but she had not responded to his kind words, merely nodding now and again. She hadn't been neglecting her duties; she still tried her best during drills and training, emerging early in the morning and heading back to her room equally early for the night. She was trying to be brave, choosing to still have an active life in the squad and show herself everyday, but he could tell it was taxing for her, the dark lines under her eyes growing more intensively every day and the small smile she gave him in the morning was slowly fading each day.

Studying her now, she looked a little less tired after a weekend of resting, but she still seemed fairly shaken up and thin to say the least.

"I'm sorry about those two," he said gently as she headed towards her desk, sitting down and sorting through the papers that had she had left there before the weekend had started, "They don't know the meaning of privacy."

"It's okay," she replied, her voice quiet as she split the documents into two piles, concentrating on her work.

"Rukia…" he started, stopping after a short while however, unsure of how to proceed. It was a difficult subject to broach, he didn't want to open up any wounds that may be healing by now but he knew that hoarding it all in may serve as a short-term solution, but long-time, it could seriously cause some damage. Moreover, if she were indeed pregnant, this physical and metal self-torture she was enduring would be dangerous for the potential foetus. He didn't want to invade her privacy, but closure could be very beneficial for her.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said straight away, her voice edged with sadness.

Jūshirō was slightly taken aback, he hadn't expected her to talk about it straight away, but she had never been so direct with him before, "Do you want to see captain Unohana? She may be able to help?"

"I'm fine," she shot, refusing to look up to meet his gaze.

Now stumped, he stood in front of her desk, knowing he couldn't push this in any way. If she had refused to even see Retsu, she was obviously blocking it all out as much as she could and she was possibly in some form of denial. He returned to his desk, sitting down at he kept his gaze on her however, only looking away with a sigh, as her void facial expression did not change. After half an hour of intense silence, the mood had become so stagnant to the point where the cheerful captain could not stand such a sombre stalemate, he stood up suddenly, walking over to Rukia's desk and stopping abruptly in front of her. She eventually looked up upon seeing a large form in front of her.

"I have an assignment for you," he instructed, taking a step back from her as he studied her confused face.

"An assignment?" she asked questioningly, putting her pencil down on the papers.

"Yes, come here, please," he ordered, pointing to the spot next to himself. She got up slowly, baffled as she stood next to him dutifully.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up at his smiling face.

"Let's go somewhere!" he said with a laugh before he grabbed her hand and yanked her forcefully out of the office. She nearly tripped up from suddenly being pulled from the spot by a man who was well over a foot taller than her, however she soon found her feet and began running behind him, only noticing that he was still holding onto her hand tightly a few minutes after they left the barracks. She blushed intently, looking to the side briefly to avoid her captain's gaze. He saw her blush anyway, and laughed at her girlish innocence, only letting go of her hand when he was confident she would keep running after him.

Jūshirō ran with Rukia towing behind him to the nearest convenient store, stopping abruptly near the automatic doors. He saw how Rukia and himself were breathing heavily, he had pushed her to run a long way, and giving how his illness was affecting him a little more than usual lately, he was also feeling the effects of running such a long way. Five minutes later saw them recovered, allowing Jūshirō to enter the convenience store, leaving a confused and slightly suspicious Rukia outside of the building. He was in the store no more than a minute, coming out through the automatic doors with a large brown bag in his hands, prompting Rukia to sigh in confusion and follow him to his next target location.

"Captain, I'm confused," she said, her voice a little stronger than it had been in the last few days.

"It's fine, you'll see," he replied with a chuckle, leading her down several streets and alleys. She followed with a sigh, taking in her surroundings as she tried to figure out where he was leading her. Truth be told, she was far from the right mood to be in for this, she was tired, dreading what was to come the following week and just wanted to throw herself into her work for the distraction. The initial pain of the act had long faded, even the soreness she had felt for a few days after had now receded, but she could still feel him above her, emotionless grey eyes staring forward as he fucked her, his disgusting scent contaminating her clothes and skin. She could still recall the burning friction that she had felt, making her wince and tense automatically at the thought. She never, for as long as she lived, wanted to go through that again, and even though, emotionally, the pain was diminishing, she swore she would never forget just how much it had fucking hurt. She doubted she could even look him in the eyes anymore, the thought of it alone was enough to make her skin crawl.

"We're here," her captain said, pulling her from her thoughts as she looked up. She frowned as she followed him around the grassy area, taking in her surroundings with slight confusion. The meadow was littered with couples, families, students, and singletons, all taking advantage of the slightly warmer weather this time of year. Rukia's confusion turned to fascination as she watched young couples share bento boxes whilst children screamed with laughter, caught up in their own silly games.

"What is this place?" she asked, her voice picking up a little.

"One of Seireitei's parks," he replied, "It's not usually this busy, but it is lunch-time, after all."

"Oh, I didn't realise it was so late in the day," she said sheepishly, "But, why did you bring me here?"

"You'll see," he continued as he led her down the main path of the park before cutting across the grass and over a small mound, finally bringing her to their destination.

"Is that a…pond?" she asked as she strained her eyes for a closer look.

"Yes, complete with ducks too!" Jūshirō said happily as they walked down the other side of the bank and towards the rather large stretch of water. Jūshirō picked a bench on which they could settle before handing Rukia something from the bag he had picked up from the convenience store.

"What's this?" she asked, peering inside to see some sort of food.

"Bread," he replied, "For the ducks…I thought it might take your mind of things if we fed them."

Rukia allowed herself a small smile; she hadn't been to feed ducks since she was little, when her sister had taken her during the weekends. The only animals she had contact with nowadays were the Kuchiki coy carp, and although they were fun to feed, it wasn't quite the same. She couldn't deny that she felt touched by this kind gesture, but it reminded her of her childhood a little too much for comfort, and her sister was the last thing she wanted to think about.

"I can't accept this kindness," Rukia said finally, turning to her captain, who had already sat down on the bench, "It's too much…I…"

Jūshirō frowned as she suddenly stopped talking, instead looking out at the pond, "Rukia…"

"So…cute…" was all she could say, her whole body about to explode with the sheer cuteness overload. Jūshirō laughed as her eyes her wide and had a twinkle to them, her free hand on her cheek as she blushed a little. It was his turn to watch in fascination as a mother duck waddled up to his vice captain, a large brace of ducklings following her. It was not too long into spring and the weather was still chilly, the past few days had brought fresh warmth, but by the end of the week, it would be bitter cold again. He noted how tiny the babies were, surely only a few weeks old at most, and there were more of them than she could clearly handle, perhaps she was a first-time mother? She would quack loudly when several started to run off, only to then have to chase up another stray that had been left behind during their walk to the bench.

"I want to feed them!" Rukia finally announced with a laugh and she walked back to the bench and sat down next to him. Jūshirō smiled, she had finally laughed and smiled for the first time since 'it' had happened, and the fact that she was even a little more happy than before was enough to put him in high spirits. She tore off small pieces, crumbling them in her thin fingers before showering them over the animals, watching as they eagerly pecked at the ground. A grin continued to grace her as she watched the young ducklings scrabble for food and quack in a high-pitched tone.

"So cute!" she repeated, before looking over and replacing her grin with a pained look.

"What's wrong?" Jūshirō asked, concerned that his companion was distressed once more.

"The little one," she replied, misery shaping her face as she pointed to the obvious runt of the brace, "It's not getting much."

"Its brothers and sisters seem to be pushing it out of the way a bit," he agreed, reaching to tear a piece of bread, "But it's okay. I can feed some of them so you can concentrate on helping the little one."

Rukia nodded, watching as he copied her actions, dropping bread by his feet for the ducks to find. The mother and several other ducklings rushed to him, leaving a few ducklings behind for Rukia to tend to. She smiled a little as she dropped a large handful by her right foot before breaking some up and leaving a pile of crumbs by her left foot for the duckling who had been pushed out. Although little, the creature had no problem gulping down the pile of tiny crumbs in less than a minute, prompting Rukia to leave more and the other squeaked at her feet, "There are so many…"

"There always are," he replied, trying not to remind her about the cruelness of nature, "The mother looks quite young, and this could well be her first time as a mother."

"I think she's doing well for saying she has so many," Rukia replied, handing another piece to her captain.

"I agree," he said, taking the piece before watching her for a moment. He knew she was a caring person, selfless and responsible and even though he couldn't imagine her with a baby at this point in time, he knew she would try her best to be a good mother, "I know you're going to be a good mother."

"What? Oh," she retorted, her voice slow as she remembered the potential baby, causing her to sigh. His words were kind and they helped in making her feel better, but he had inadvertently reminded her of her situation, something she had only just managed to push to one side, "I won't be the mother. My sister will. I'm doing this for her and it's never going to be truly mine to begin with. I'm not ready to have children and I want nothing to do with it when it's born."

"That's wise," Jūshirō agreed, "Treat it as a sibling. You've got so much potential and a long time ahead of you to start a family. But when the time comes, you will make a good mother."

"Thank you," she replied with a small, wobbly smile, desperately holding back the tears.

xxxxxxx

Hisana shifted in a light sleep, letting the soft sheets slip over her small frame, her hand on her stomach as she finally woke with a yawn. She looked to the empty space next to her, frowning as Byakuya had already left, he was leaving earlier and earlier these days, no doubt to train and confront his feelings. As long as it helped him, she didn't mind all that much.

She fidgeted for a short while as she fully came to, still feeling the effects of her never-ending tiredness. She stared at the ceiling, rubbing her flat stomach, a tiny part of her still hoping that she would become large with her husband's child. She sighed; she had not completely resigned herself to barrenness, she would not allow herself to. Yet she knew deep down that Rukia was most likely her only hope. She hated to put her sister and husband through this, but it wouldn't take Rukia long to become pregnant and it would all be over in a year. The outcome definitely outweighed the grief that it caused. She stumbled out of bed, trying to stay on her uncharacteristically weak legs. She ignored her initial concern however; she was still tipsy with sleep and slightly tired. She made it to the door, finding her legs soon enough and stopping as the door opened slowly, revealing Byakuya as he entered the bedroom.

"Hisana?" he asked, looking up to see her muddled form, still clothed in a sleeping robe and her hair ruffled.

"Byakuya-sama," she replied with confusion, "It's rare to see you home in the morning."

"Morning?" Byakuya asked, placing the small stack of papers on the dresser next to him as worry suddenly gripped him, "Have you only just woken up?"

"Yes," Hisana answered, "Is there something wrong?"

"It's dinner time," he pointed out, "I'm late from work today. You've been sleeping all day?" He moved over to her, placing his hand on her forehead and holding her wrist as he counted her heartbeat.

"I guess I'm just a little tired recently," she said, shaking off his concern, "It's nothing."

"Sleeping this long it abnormal," he argued as she stepped back from him, making her way to the bathroom, "And there's no reason for you to have suddenly become this tired."

"I have a lot on my mind," Hisana supposed, "Things haven't been easy recently."

"It's this baby obsession," Byakuya said, raising his voice out of concern for his wife. He'd wanted for so long to argue this out with her, but he knew her illness was taking its toll and he didn't want to push her, but this child fixation was causing most of her problems, "You're so desperate for a baby…it's killing you. I too would like a child, but I'm happy for it to be just you and me. If you dropped this child fixation, we'd all be happier. You'd be less ill, I'd be happier, and your sister for god's sake would be happier. I can't even look her in the face for fear of remembering in graphic detail what I did to her."

"Rukia's strong," Hisana argued, suddenly starting to feel a little dizzy, "She agreed to this knowing what she would have to do and the elders had a contract drawn up, we can't go back now! She's probably already pregnant anyway!"

"She might be strong, but she's still human," he argued, a rage that he hadn't felt for centuries now coursing through him, "My relationship with your sister is already terrible, and this had made it a million times worse."

"And whose fault is that?" Hisana pointed out, "You've been nothing but harsh to my sister, keeping her at arms length at all times, hardly talking to her, you've put the fear of god into that poor girl."

Byakuya scowled. Hisana was partly right, he had never treated Rukia correctly and he didn't even know why. A part of him couldn't help but resent how healthy and alive Rukia was. She was strong, full of potential and most likely able to bear children, and yet his wife couldn't. Life had been cruel to Hisana and Rukia, but Hisana was now suffering far more. It was no one's fault, this he knew, and yet he couldn't help but take it out on the poor girl, and until recently he had never tried to see life through her eyes. He desperately never wanted to see her again, and yet a small part of him finally wanted to apologize to her and try and act more brotherly, "I've given her a roof over her head, good food and I've helped her become what she wanted, a soul reaper."

"You know this baby means everything to me," Hisana changed the subject back again, "I'm not going to give up now, after everything. We've come this far, and if Rukia refuses to bear the child, it's likely both Rukia and myself will be cast from this family, despite our marriage."

"Hisana…I do love you…very much in fact," Byakuya concluded, sitting on the edge of the unmade bed as he calmed again, "And it's the reason I'm going to see this through until you have a baby in your arms, but I fear for what this is doing to your health. Please…just let your sister and I sort this baby ordeal, while you concentrate on your health."

Hisana clutched at the bathroom doorframe for a while, thinking about his words and trusting his judgement, "Okay. I'll try to keep more calm about it and give Rukia more support if she needs it."

"Please do," he concluded, sitting and waiting for her to finish in the bathroom so they could prepare for dinner. He waited for a few minutes, thinking over what he had said and realising that he may have been too harsh.

"Byakuya-sama!" Hisana cried from the bathroom, her voice strained with pain.

He shot up, flash stepping to the door, and opening it, revealing a pained Hisana as she clutched at her stomach whilst still sitting, "What's wrong?"

"My stomach…hurts…" she cried out, tears of pain sliding down her pale cheeks, "And my…urine…it's brown…"

**A/N: Clearly, I've been watching too much House, and we all know what brown pee means, don't we kids? Even though I am British and live in England, I love House and there's quite a big fandom and popularity for the program in the UK. Does anyone else enjoy the witty repartee of House once in a while?**

**Please review/drop me a note if you have time! It would be muchly appreciated! 3**

**Next chapter, we find out the results of Rukia's pregnancy test…**


	5. Judgement Day

**A/N: If you've been reading my other Byaruki, DP, then you know I bitched about going to the dentist, which, I am terrified of. Well, I went, and my lovely dentist gave me a clean bill of teeth health! Yay. On the other hand, my doctor told me I'm suffering from a virus and it sucks, my throat has never been so raw before ;_;**

**Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I was eager to see how much Hisana bashing there would be!**

**Yeah, so apparently dialysis hurts like a bitch. Having never had it before, and 'touch wood', will never have it, I don't know how much it hurts but apparently it's something to avoid, if possible. Before I wrote it, I was kind of like, ouch, poor Hisana, but when writing it I was like, 'Oh, Hisana…it'll hurt, oh well, maybe this is payback pain for the sheer amount of fucking pain you put Rukia through,' but in the end, I don't dislike Hisana, and I can sympathise with her. **

**Yeah, I don't own Bleach, I only own the sick twisted the plot that I make the characters act out!**

**WARNINGS: Angst, Tension, Language (if you've read this far then you know…)**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Four<span>

Judgement Day

"Your liver is failing," captain Unohana concluded as Hisana rested in the emergency room, Byakuya standing guard over his wife.

"Failing?" Byakuya questioned, holding Hisana's hand to reassure her.

"Yes," Unohana put gently, her voice as caring a possible; "I believe your illness has spread to your liver, effectively shutting it down. I'm willing to bet that whatever illness you have, has also shut down your reproductive organs."

"What does she have?" Byakuya asked, looking down at Hisana's pale face briefly before turning back to Retsu.

"We're not sure," Retsu replied with a sigh, sharing the couple's grimace, "I haven't seen anything like this in the Seireitei or in the upper regions of Rukongai. I've heard of similar symptoms in people in the living world but nothing that completely fits this description. It's possible you've picked something up during your childhood in Rukongai or it could be a genetic disease."

"Does Rukia have it?" Hisana suddenly asked, sitting up a little more despite her pain, "What about the baby?"

"I doubt it she would have it, even if it is genetic," Retsu tried to assure her, "She would have shown signs of illness by now and all her test results from check ups have come back healthy. I will need to see her at some point to check her again, just to make sure she hasn't contracted anything."

"What about my wife?" Byakuya prompted the doctor sternly, "How are you going to cure her?"

"We'll put you on dialysis for a few days to clear your liver and system," Unohana explained, "And try you on various different drugs to track down the possible illnesses you have…but we're really not sure at this point."

"W-Will I die?" Hisana asked, her hands trembling against Byakuya's as her head ached and stomach threatened to empty itself.

"Not necessarily," Retsu pointed out, her voice a little more cheerful, "If we treat it in time and test for everything, there's a high chance that you could be cured and live a long life."

"That's good news," Hisana agreed with a nod as she looked up at Byakuya.

"It is," Retsu concurred, "We'll have to keep you here for a few days though, possibly even a week. We'll get the dialysis process started now so we can find out what's wrong as soon as possible."

"Will it hurt?" Hisana asked, her free hand rubbing her stomach lightly.

"Dialysis…isn't easy, and you may be in a bit of pain, or a small amount of discomfort," Unohana put gently again, "We'll be able to give you painkillers however to help numb the pain." Hisana nodded, clutching at Byakuya's hand as she shivered in fear.

"Do you want me to stay in the barracks with you?" Byakuya asked, sitting back down in the chair adjacent to his wife's bed.

"I couldn't make you do that," Hisana said with a light shake of her head, "You have a strict training routine and staying here would hinder it. Besides, if Rukia decided to come back to the mansion to stay for a few days, she'll need someone there."

"Okay," Byakuya agreed with a small nod, "I'll bring you dinner everyday when I come and visit you. You'll need the good food to give you strength."

"Thank you," Hisana said with a small smile, leaning back into the pillows again to rest, "I look forward to it."

"Captain Kuchiki," Retsu addressed him after a small cough, "I would politely like to ask that you return later as Isane and I need to start the procedure before her state worsens."

Byakuya nodded before turning back to his wife, "I'll bring you a small suitcase of things you'll need when I bring you dinner tonight."

Hisana nodded, watching as Retsu shut the curtains behind her, leaving them to their goodbyes.

"I'm sorry," Hisana cried into Byakuya's shoulder as he leant over to embrace her.

"It's not your fault," Byakuya soothed, holding her lightly, "It's okay. Just concentrate on getting better and rest whilst you're here. Don't worry about me or Rukia, we'll sort out things between us, you'll see."

"Okay," Hisana agreed with a nod as another tear escaped down her pale cheek, "I-I'm scared about this…"

"You're in good hands," Byakuya reassured her, his voice calm despite the fact that he was just as fearful as her, "You'll be given plenty of painkillers so you won't feel anything. Trust me, they'll make you feel better and I'll see you everyday." A cough from Retsu outside prompted them to hurry.

"Okay," Hisana agreed, tightening her embrace around Byakuya for a few seconds before gently pressing her lips against his.

"I'll see you later," Byakuya said after pulling away.

Hisana nodded, watching as Byakuya gave her once last reassuring look before slipping out of the curtain.

"I'm sorry, captain Kuchiki," Retsu sympathised with the younger man, "We have to get started as soon as possible."

"I understand," he said, turning to her now, "When would be a good time to see her later?"

"She's going to be in a lot of pain for a few hours," Retsu said with a grimace, "But the drugs will start to take effect early this evening, so around seven this evening should be fine."

"Thank you," Byakuya replied, "I appreciate the emergency treatment. Please cure her."

"I'll try my best," Retsu promised.

Byakuya nodded before turning to leave, only stopping as he remembered something crucial, "Don't mention this to my sister. She doesn't know about Hisana's condition and we've never wanted to worry or burden her. Telling her at this stage would only worsen things, for her and any baby she may be carrying."

"Of course," Retsu replied, unsure on how she felt about the situation, "But I will need to check her thoroughly, to make sure that she's healthy, but she needn't know it's anything but a simple check-up."

"Thank you," Byakuya repeated before heading back to his barracks to train.

Retsu sighed, watching as Byakuya left before turning to write a detailed report on her clipboard of everything that she would be administering to Hisana. Retsu was already dreadfully worried about Rukia, they were waiting for the results any day now and she hadn't checked in with news of whether her period was late or not. She worried for the young girl's sake and neither Retsu nor Jūshirō agreed with what she was being put through, or what this was doing to Byakuya. It could damage the already nonexistent relationship and mentally scar one, if not both of them. And now this with Hisana…she really had no idea what illness she had, she could only guess based on what symptoms were being presented. She called Isane from the other room, if they didn't act fast, Hisana could take a turn for the worse.

xxxxxxx

Rukia looked up from the collection form she was filling out as something heavy was placed in front of her, the evidence coming in the form of a loud 'clunk.' She pulled the hot cup of tea towards her, blowing on it for a few seconds before looking up and watching her captain leave through the back door to the barrack gardens.

"I'm going to take a break, you're more than welcome to join me," he gestured, turning to leave the door open for her.

"I'm going to keep working," Rukia replied as she picked her pen back up.

"You should take a break," Jūshirō argued, slowly letting the door slide shut behind him.

"I don't want to," Rukia protested with a small smile on her face, finding the tease arguing amusing.

"If you don't take a break in the next half an hour, I'll take the Chappy stamp away," he threatened as he briefly pushed the door back open, letting in the last gust of early spring warmth, "It'll get cold again soon, you should enjoy the outside. Besides, it's awfully stifling in here."

Rukia pouted as she filled in another box, she had only just been able to earn the luxury of the Chappy stamp. Since taking time to unwind a little, she had been feeling better about herself with every passing day, and slowly but surely, the memory had begun to fade at the edges. She had been able to sleep without crying the past few nights and her captain had always been there to help, running around to get her tea or snacks or simply sit with her in comfortable silence. He hadn't tried to get her to talk, and for that, she was also grateful. She had no desire to talk about it for fear of dragging the memory back up into plain sight, and she didn't want him to know what she had had to endure.

"Fine," she said with a sigh, defeated. She placed her pens to one side, grasping her mug by the handle and making her way over to him with a frustrated look on her face, "But I could have been doing the paperwork instead."

"I'm the boss," Jūshirō replied, putting on a stern voice, "What I say, goes. Now I order you to go outside and enjoy yourself!"

"Yes, sir," she grumbled, smiling to herself however.

"That's more like it," he continued, ushering her out of the door before following her down to the grassy embankment, "Oh, looks like they beat us to it!" He gestured to Kiyone and Sentarō, who, by now, were well into the bottle of Sake and had decided to argue through giggles whilst rolling around on the ground.

"Captain!" Kiyone yelled, waving her arms above her head, "We're here."

"Don't yell Kiiiyoooone," Sentarō slurred, "They can see us…"

"You're so drunk!" Kiyone chastised, turning to him and pointing at his face, "You can't even talk properly!"

"Neithercanyou!" Sentarō accused in a muddled voice, "Captain! Sit next to me!"

"Why are you drunk?" Jūshirō asked, grasping onto his tea tightly as he crossed his arms across his chest, towering above them with a serious look on his face.

"Shit, he's getting pissy," Sentarō half-whispered loudly to Kiyone, slight terror on his face as he leaned over to her.

"What?" Kiyone yelled at her counterpart, giving him a slight shove, "Our captain doesn't get angry, ever, remember?"

"Where did you find the alcohol?" Jūshirō asked, far too amused and curious to be angry in any way.

"Captain Kyōraku," Kiyone revealed with a laugh, "He said we should all take it easy! We've left some for you, like he asked us to!"

"Damn you, Shunsui," Jūshirō cursed his best friend. He made a mental note to chastise his best friend the next time he was to see him for trying, and succeeding, to intoxicate his colleagues.

He sat down now to Sentarō, taking time to sip his tea as Rukia chose to sit on the other side of him, looking down into her tea for a short while before tasting it. He was proud of her, to say the least, she had come so far in the past few days and he no longer heard her crying at night. Like he often tended to his younger sisters, he sometimes wished to gather her up and hug her until she stopped crying, but given their working relationship, it would be inappropriate and could just end up putting her in more discomfort. He hoped that she would come to her senses a little more and try and find closure in someone, but she was stubborn and she would be for the rest of her life. He knew she was no where near as joyful and stable as she used to be, but she'd get there, in her own time.

They had conversed for only a few minutes before a petrified looking soul reaper from the squad bolted down the embankment, yelling for the captain.

"Captain Ukitake!" he managed to cry, his breath escaping him, "An urgent matter calls your attention in the office!"

"Is everything aright?" he asked as he stood up, turning the face the squad member, "Is anyone hurt?"

"No, everyone is fine, captain," the man replied.

"That's good," he sighed with relief, "I was really worried for a second there. Rukia, could I ask you take this for me please? I'll come back after this and join you again."

"Yes, captain," she agreed, standing up to take the mug from him and blushing profusely and his fingers covered hers for a second as she took the mug from him. She was thankful that he was too much of a hurry to even notice that their hands touched, or that she was blushing. She hadn't the slightest clue what had changed for her mentally recently, she had found herself blushing on numerous occasions when he had grabbed her hand or gently touched her shoulder to comfort her. She had never blushed before, but now, she had almost begun to feel lonely whenever he was not in the office. It had almost become a routine in the past week to take daily walks or eat lunch together. Sometimes, Kiyone and Sentarō joined in and even though they ended up bickering, she enjoyed their company just as much as she enjoyed her captain's. She was indebted to them for helping to take her mind of things but with everyday that passed, she increasingly feared the arrival of her period. She was due today, and even though she barely showed it, she was terrified. She had never been so anxious before in her life. She had once thought she had been nervous on the day of her vice-captain test, but this was a whole new level, and it had never even crossed her mind that she could ever become this anxious. She clung to the tiny ray of hope that it was well past midday, and on any other normal cycle she would have been visited by Mother Nature sometime during the morning, and, as of yet, she'd had no sign of it. She hadn't even endured any stomach cramps that usually came included in the package, and she took it as a good sign. She had to.

"Hey, Rukia!" Kiyone called, snapping her from her thoughts as the young girl shuffled towards her, a large grin on her face.

"Yes," Rukia replied, trying to keep down her nerves.

"Do you have a crush on our captain?" she giggled, her face reddening from the alcohol.

"W-What?" Rukia asked, suddenly taken aback at Kiyone's straightforward manner, "No, of course not."

"You've been blushing loads around him," Sentarō butted in, agreeing with Kiyone for the first time in god knows how long.

"I-I haven't!" she protested, folding her arms across her chest in frustration, how dare they ask such an absurd question.

"You're doing it now!" Kiyone pointed out.

"You're interrogating me!" she argued.

"You've been spending tons of time with him!" Kiyone retorted.

"I'm the vice-captain!" Rukia explained, her face continuing to redden, "I'm supposed to spend the most time with the captain!"

"Even out of work hours!" Sentarō laughed.

"I don't have a crush on him!" She half-yelled, waving her fists around in aggravation.

"But you do spend a lot of time together," Kiyone reminded, "And you blush around him, and you've definitely become closer as colleagues and one day you're shy around him and the next you're having playful banter…don't hide from us Rukia…we know you like him!"

"I don't!" she continued, her heart pounding in her chest, "Just because I do all those things doesn't mean I fancy the guy! He's my boss, at least double my age, and out of my league!"

"Oh, so you think he's good-looking?" Sentarō cut in.

"I didn't say that!" Rukia objected.

"But you said he's out of your league," Kiyone indicated, "Which means you think he's better looking than yourself, which means that you think he's good-looking!"

"I didn't mean it like that…" she tried, failing to combat her friend's counter-arguments.

"It's okay, Rukia," Kiyone continued, "We understand. After all, it's not like he's unattractive or anything. In fact, he's one of Seireitei's most desired men, along with your brother, and he's also one of Seireitei's most intelligent men! Apparently, he's aced every exam he's ever taken and he trains so much that he must be buff under that uniform!"

"Where'd you get all this information?" Rukia asked, a little less angry and more curious.

"The Women's club," Kiyone revealed, "We gather important background information and take pictures of the men that do the best in the weekly polls, as voted by women. He's always in the top five and the pieces we write on him always sell well! Why, are you interested in him?"

"NO!" she yelled, flustered that Kiyone had once again asked, "I'm going to go and check that everything is alright in the office!" She stood up abruptly, only bending down to balance the cups of tea on the grass, before storming up the bank before those two started back at square one again. Seriously, the nerve those two had, making accusations that had no grounding. Why would she have a crush on him? She had never felt anything other than admiration for him. She had always looked up to him as a role model, and nothing else during the whole time she had been in his squad, so why would that suddenly change? Yes, he was kind and intelligent and…good-looking? Maybe, but nothing that made her suddenly want to date him, in fact she had never met a man that she wanted to date. As for the other factor of Kiyone's argument, she would rather not see just how 'buff' he is, and even entertaining the thought caused her skin to assume its frequent crimson colour. She shook her head; it was crazy…he was her captain and nothing more.

Yet, Kiyone hadn't been lying. She had been blushing around him more than usual recently, and they had spent nearly every day of this week in constant company of each other. She also hadn't failed to notice that she felt shy around him sometimes. When his fingers brushed against hers, when he patted her head or gave her tea and buscuits to keep her going on slower days. At other times however, she was more than happy to call him 'slow' or 'old' or mock his cheerful persona, much to his annoyance. And yet she knew that she would never have acted in such a way towards him a month ago, so why was she doing it now? Something had definitely changed, that much she could set in stone. She couldn't resolve exactly what had suddenly shifted at this point in time, and her gut feeling, much to her chagrin, told her that this wasn't the last time she'd face this.

She shook her head of such thoughts, now wasn't the time to be worrying about this. She had to get her head out of the clouds and into the here and now. She trudged back up the hill, heading towards the office as she kept her head down, desperately hoping her period wasn't going to make a sudden arrival as she turned her thoughts to her current situation. She pushed open the door to the office, sighing as she stepped inside and stopping dead in her tracks as the sudden spiritual pressure hit her, practically suffocating her. She accidently let the door slam behind her, prompting the two men to pause their conversation as her heartbeat skyrocketed. The familiar gut-wrenching nerves returned as she leant against the wall, never feeling so grateful for some bricks and plaster until now, as it concealed her from them.

Jūshirō feigned ignorance as Rukia's reiatsu swept through the room, the door slamming loudly behind her. He noticed how captain Kuchiki looked at the wall she was blatantly hiding behind for a split second, before turning back to him. Fucking hell, Rukia's timing was terrible…but an accident nonetheless, and he just hoped that she would stay hidden and also feign ignorance. He doubted that Byakuya knew his involvement in this situation, and he could use this to his advantage. The last thing he wanted to see was an awkward, strained confrontation between the two siblings.

"Is something wrong, captain Kuchiki?" he asked with a confused look.

"No," the stoic man replied, knowing full well that his sister was hiding from him, and although he thought it childish, he couldn't help but share the same uneasy feelings towards the idea of seeing each other at this point, "I ask that you sign these by tomorrow, please. They are most important."

"Of course," he replied, following Byakuya to the door with a smile, 'Don't push yourself now!"

He watched with fake happiness as the other captain left, flash stepping away from his barracks and onto the Seireitei streets. He shut the door behind him with a sigh, Rukia had only just managed to find some stability in her life, and now they were most likely back to square one. Though, their meeting was inevitable sooner or later, especially if she isn't...he shook his head and grimaced, preferring not to think about it.

"Rukia," he started, walking towards the backdoor and turning the corner, looking down at a terrified Rukia.

"I…er…l-left something in my room," she sniffled, walking past him quickly and rushing up the few steps to the living quarters.

"I'm sorry this happened," he tried, following her and waiting at the bottom of the steps, "But, I think you need some form of closure to overcome this…please see captain Unohana, or talk to your brother in an open, controlled environment. The best type of closure you can get is from him. Talk about this, get this out between the two of you and find some common ground…"

Rukia listened from the top of the stairs, her tears streaming down her red cheeks as the pounding in her head and the queasiness in her stomach refused to subside. She shook her head before rushing to her room and locking the door behind her, throwing herself down on her bed as she concentrated on making the pain recede.

Jūshirō wandered back to his desk, sitting down with a sigh as he stared blankly at the papers in front of him. She had been doing so well, and now…this. He was still immensely proud of her for being this strong, but couldn't deny that he sometimes disliked her sheer stubbornness. He couldn't even imagine how difficult this must be, but he desperately hoped she would seek some help from either Retsu or Byakuya. She needed the closure, and although it must seem awkward and downright terrifying, her brother was the best person to talk to, it seemed they both needed to clear the air.

xxxxxxx

Byakuya carried the small bento box that he had his chef wrap, as he walked towards the fourth division. He'd liked to have said that he'd made it lovingly himself, but he'd never busied himself with housewife chores before and saw little sense in learning such trivia. Still, he had informed the head maid and the chef of Hisana's absence, insisting that she had caught some simple cold or mild infection and would be recovering in the relief centre, and that she would not be requiring dinner or clearing up after for the foreseeable future. He desperately wished she would put this whole 'baby thing' on hold and simply concentrate on getting better, but knowing Hisana, she would never give up on the idea. Which reminded him at this point, wasn't Rukia supposed to get the results soon? He had no idea what her cycle or body clock was like, he barely even knew Hisana's either though. He'd just rather not know about his wife's or sister's cycles and bodily functions, but he reckoned that it since its been just over two weeks since…she must be getting the results soon.

Rukia…he grimaced, recalling the stifling atmosphere at captain Ukitake's division this morning. Both of them knew that she was avoiding him and he sighed at the thought of seeing her. He just hoped to God that she's pregnant, because if push comes to shove, he knew that he could try and force himself to go through it again, but he sincerely doubted she could.

All he could do is hope and pray that she was pregnant, as he went to care for the wife he loved so dearly.

xxxxxxx

"You know, Jyuu," Shunsui laughed into his small cup, "I heard such a funny story from my little Nanao just yesterday."

"Oh, what did she say?" he asked as he sipped tea, watching his friend strategize the next move on the Go board.

"She said that there's a rumour going around about you," he continued, looking up at his puzzled friend with a grin, "Well, in the Women's Association, anyway."

"Rumour?" he questioned, looking around the board as Shunsui moved a tile.

"Yeah," Shunsui teased, "Apparently you have the hots for your vice-captain."

"Uh-huh…wait…what?" Jūshirō asked, looking up at his friend. He had been so engrossed in deciding his next move that he hadn't fully registered Shunsui's response…until now.

"That's what my Nanao said," he concluded casually, laughing as Jūshirō placed a tile in a weak position.

"W-Where did she get an idea like that?" he asked incredulously, shaking his head.

"The other girls, no doubt," Shunsui replied, easily using Jūshirō's disadvantage to corner a tile.

"Kiyone," Jūshirō muttered, now irritated by the young girl's gossip, "She'll take anything out of context and gossip about it."

"She must have got the idea from somewhere…" Shunsui replied.

"You know she's excitable and makes mountains out of mole hills," he explained, "Rukia's going through a rough patch and I'm helping her get through a few things."

'How exactly are you helping her?" he replied with a cheeky wink.

"By offering her aged wisdom and worldly advice, and nothing more," he replied in a firm voice, wanting to squash this silly rumour. Kiyone really had gone too far with this. Sure, he had been spending a lot of time with Rukia, talking to her, comforting her, going out to different places to get fresh air, eating lunch together…but he enjoyed her company and hoped that he was helping to make her life a little easier.

"Sure…" he teased, placing several tiles around Jūshirō's in an effort to steal victory, "Besides, I think it's nice that you've got yourself a girlfriend, it'll be good for you."

"She's not my girlfriend!" he exclaimed, "It's just a silly rumour, made up by excitable, silly girls with nothing better to do! She's my work colleague, and when we're not working, she's like a sister to me!"

"Fine, fine," Shunsui concluded, dropping the teasing as he noticed Jūshirō's rising irritation, pushing him further could prompt a coughing attack, "But it would be nice if you could get a girlfriend."

"Maybe one day," he frowned as Shunsui won with a landslide victory, "But it won't be Rukia."

xxxxxxx

Rukia allowed herself a small smile as she pulled back the crisp sheets of her bed, she was nearly three days late and she would go to see captain Unohana tomorrow for a test. This was a good sign. Even though she knew she could just as easily not be pregnant, she hoped this was a good sign, and hopefully enough time had passed for her to take a test. She lay down, pulling the warm blankets over herself as she soothingly rubbed her tummy with one hand, its comfort helping her to fall asleep.

She had only been asleep a few hours, but it was into the early hours of the morning when she squirmed uncomfortably, her hands on her stomach as she felt the gut-wrenching stomach cramps. She sat up wearily, drunk with sleep as her stomach contorted in pain, her hands trying to ease the tension as she rubbed soothingly. She shook her head, waking up quickly then and coming to a heart-stopping realisation as warmth filled her underwear and spread to her pyjamas, spotting the sheets with red.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm sorry, I was horrible to Rukia, but did you really think I'd let her off this easily? I know this is awfully Rukitake, but never fear, you'll see, there's much potential for Byaruki ;) Or is there...? **


	6. Behind Closed Doors

**A/N: ****Just a quick note to say that 'Dark Paradise' will be put on hold for a short while, so I can have time to write in bulk as I prefer to write that way. I've also been busy, as in the past two weeks I have driven half-way across the country three times, moved house, went to a job interview – got the job, and started my training, so it's been such a chaotic week, but I managed to meet my old school friends that I haven't seen since I left school some years ago! It was fun!**

**WARNINGS: ****LEMON AHOY****! Adult situations (scenes of a sexual nature), angst, Rukia finds her backbone again and various other warnings. To be honest, if you've read this far, then you know the general trend of things I write. **

**Sadly, I don't own Bleach. ;_;**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Five<span>

Behind Closed Doors

Nothing had changed since her last visit, the walls were still white washed, the air was spiked with antiseptic and the captain sat on the other side of the table, was as concerned as ever. The older woman inhaled, her breath suspended as she tried to break the ice.

"Thank you for coming to see me," she started, watching as Rukia fiddled with a her fingers, "Now regarding your results, I'd like to give you a check-up, just to make sure that everything is okay."

"Check-up?" Rukia asked as she looked up at Retsu, "I had a check-up last month."

"Yes," Retsu tried, careful to not divulge too much into Hisana's sudden illness and the consequent need for Rukia to have a check-up, "But your sister has been a little under the weather recently, and we're therefore concerned it could affect your potential wellbeing."

"Hisana?" Rukia asked, sitting up a little, she was ill? This was the first she had ever heard of this, "Is she alright?"

"Of course, she's fine," Retsu stretched the truth, she hated lying but she had promised Byakuya that she would not reveal too much, plus, she didn't want to worry the poor girl, she already had more than enough on her plate, "Just a simple cold virus, nothing to worry about."

"So, why do I need a check up?" Rukia asked, a look of confusion now etching her features.

"Just in case you may have caught it as well," Retsu reassured her, "Also, bearing in mind that you've not successfully conceived this month, I would like to make sure of some things."

"O-okay," she hesitantly replied after a short while, "But I've been feeling fine."

"A lot of problems or illnesses don't always present symptoms straight away, and although I'm almost certain that you're completely healthy, I just want to make sure," Retsu justified as she pulled out Rukia's data sheets from the top drawer of her desk.

"Okay," Rukia replied as she shrugged her shoulders, it wouldn't hurt to get checked-up on, and she knew it would put the captain's mind at ease.

"Excellent, if you'd like to head over to the bed, I'll get the ultrasound set up," she requested, gesturing towards the bed in the corner of the room.

"Ultrasound?" Rukia asked again, slight trepidation creeping into her now. Was something wrong? Was it linked to Hisana's illness?

"I'd like to take a look at your ovaries and fallopian tubes, just to make sure they're still as healthy as last time we checked," she tried to comfort the young girl.

"Why wouldn't they be?" she pressed, her face showing her anxiety as she followed Retsu to the bed.

"Young women are also susceptible to ovarian cysts and complications, and it can affect the likelihood of conception," she explained, "But it's unlikely that there's any problems. We just want to be sure."

"Is…is that why I didn't get pregnant?" she asked hesitantly as she slowly slid herself onto the bed.

"No, no," Retsu explained quickly upon seeing Rukia's worry and confusion, "As I explained last month, it can take perfectly healthy women a few months to conceive, and it doesn't always happen the first time you try. So don't worry, it's just standard procedure, and I'm certain there's nothing abnormal."

"Okay," Rukia agreed, now a little reassured by Retsu's comforting words. She lay back on the blue paper that covered the bed, trying to get comfortable as Isane wheeled in a large machine.

"This won't take too long, and it's painless," Retsu explained as she set up the machine with Isane beside the bed, "Could you untie your top piece for me please."

Rukia nodded with reddening cheeks as she undid the top piece of her Shihakusho, showing her skinny stomach and humble breasts that were covered by her black undergarments.

"Okay, Isane, if you could turn on the monitor and get it ready," she turned to her subordinate who nodded in reply. She turned to the patient now, "Sorry, this'll be cold at first."

"Cold?" Rukia asked, confused at first, but then understood as she gasped at the cold gel that Retsu squirted onto her lower abdomen from a tube. She then felt the firm device on her stomach as Retsu moved it around easily with the help of the gel.

"Thank you Isane," Retsu thanked the girl as she set the monitor and enlarged the area on the screen, "If you could assist me in the analysis, I would be grateful. Two sets of eyes are better than one, as they say."

"Yes, captain," Isane agreed with a grim look. After having taken care of Hisana for nearly a week, she hoped that Rukia had not caught or developed the same illness. They still hadn't even figured out the cause, but she knew it was something unpleasant. She watched the screen intently as Retsu moved the handset around slowly, looking for anything that could present a problem.

"Your left side looks fine," Retsu replied after a short while before moving the handset over the flat abdomen, "When you do manage to become pregnant, we'll have to repeat this procedure regularly to check on the progress of the foetus." Rukia nodded with a sigh, so far so good right? So, if she was given the all clear, she could easily get pregnant, right? Good God she hoped so.

Getting her period had come as a hard shock to Rukia, as she had been sure she had managed to conceive, and particularly after being three days late, it had given her room for hope. She had initially waited some time to see captain Unohana after finding out the results, rather than seeing her straight away, wanting instead to let the shock and worry heal a little rather than end up breaking down on the older woman and sobbing like a child. Her captain had told her to be strong, and although it was difficult, she had had more than enough of feeling upset, worried and anxious constantly, so for the time being, she was managing to keep her head above the water. She just tried not to think about her ovulation date, which would be coming around within the next two weeks, and the…inevitable.

"What's that?" Isane asked, pointing to the screen as Rukia froze, did they find something bad?

"Just a shadow," Retsu confirmed as she moved the device back over a certain area, "I've been thinking about it for a few minutes, but if it was anything, the spot would be bigger and a different shape. There'd most likely be other, smaller cysts or complications if it was anything, but there's no sign of anything wrong at all."

"Is everything alright?" Rukia asked, looking up at the captain.

"Yes," Retsu confirmed, "Everything looks healthy. We were concerned about a small spot on the scan, but it's only a shadow."

"Are you sure?" the girl pressed.

"Yes, absolutely," Retsu reassured her as she removed the device and offered the girl a moist wipe for her stomach, "There's no evidence whatsoever that it's anything more than a shadow, and even in the very unlikely event that it is some sort of cyst, it's too small to cause any problems, and it's in the wrong area to be a hindrance to conception."

"Okay," Rukia replied with a nod, trusting in the experienced doctor.

"Okay, so that's all fine," Retsu concluded as Isane wheeled the machine away and Rukia tied her Shihakusho back up, "Now I'd like to ask you if you could take a urine test, and I'll take a simple blood test."

"Is all this necessary?" Rukia asked as she hopped off the bed. They had never done this many tests before, so why now?

"They're standard," Retsu continued as she handed Rukia a small urine sample pot, "We just want to be sure."

"Okay," Rukia replied with a sigh. She felt that all of this was a little unnecessary but, but better safe than sorry. It would most likely be one of the biggest blunders she would ever experience if she went through all of this and realised that she wouldn't be able to get pregnant, like her sister. She occupied the toilet that Retsu indicated to in the corner of her office before holding the pot in place as she filled it. She removed it and capped it before finishing up and washing her hands, then handing the pot to Retsu after she had exited the toilet.

"Thank you," Retsu replied as Rukia handed her the pot of yellowish liquid, "Isane and I will test for everything and check that everything is okay, which I am already sure it is." Rukia nodded as she sat by Retsu's desk and had her blood pressure taken, her height and weight measurements taken and a sample of blood.

"Okay, perfect," Retsu concluded, holding the pot of blood up to the light and shaking it a little, "Everything looks fine, though you could put on a little more weight. I know you're a petite size, but if you do put on a little weight, it'll do more good than bad."

"Okay, I'll take than on board," she understood before deliberating for a short while, "I-Is my sister here?"

Retsu froze, she had been worried that Rukia would ask that, but could she deny her a visit to her sister? "Yes, but she's recovering from the cold."

"Can I see her, please?" Rukia pressed.

Retsu inwardly groaned, she didn't want to worry either sister, but she knew that denying Rukia her visitation rights would worry the small girl more, "Yes, but I stress that she needs her rest."

"Okay, I'll make it quick!" Rukia replied with a small smile.

Retsu nodded as she led Rukia out of her office and down a large corridor before turning off into a smaller corridor and stopping outside a door. She knocked quietly a few times and a weak "Come in" replied.

"Hisana," Retsu greeted the woman who was sitting up in bed, "How're you feeling?"

"Better," Hisana replied as colour once again stained her cheeks.

"That's good," Retsu continued, "Rukia has come to see you, and I've just been telling her how you're recovering from a simple cold infection."

"Oh…yes," Hisana carried on, catching on to Retsu's white lie as the older woman gave a her a wide-eyed look, "I'm feeling much better after resting here."

"That's good," Rukia piped up, standing beside Retsu by Hisana's bed, "When will you be coming back to the manor?"

"Well…er…I'm not too sure…but hopefully soon," Hisana looked up at Retsu hopefully, not quite sure what to say.

"In due time," Retsu supplied, "When you're completely healthy."

"Not too long, then," Hisana reassured her sister.

"I hope so," Rukia agreed with a smile.

"Have you found out the results, Rukia?" Hisana asked as she looked at Rukia now, hopeful for the news.

"Well…er…I…" Rukia tried as she turned her head away, unable to look at her sister's hopeful face.

"I should leave you two alone for a few minutes," Retsu suddenly said, cutting through the uneasiness that had now settled. Rukia turned to watch Retsu exit the room with a small click of the door, leaving her alone with her sister.

"So?" Hisana prompted, reaching over and taking her younger sister's hand lightly as she sat down in the seat next to the bed.

"I'm sorry…" Rukia shook her head after a moment of pause, "I wasn't successful."

Hisana looked upon her disheartened sister's face as the hope sunk within her. She had desperately hoped that her sister was pregnant, especially with her lapse in health, she needed some good news right now, "It's okay…there's always next month…"

"A-Actually…" Rukia looked up into Hisana's saddened features, feeling sudden guilt flood her as she tried to speak her mind, "I was hoping if…"

"It's okay," Hisana supplied quickly, "It can sometimes take time, so, of course you can have more time. It gets better the more you try, so just listen to what captain Unohana advises and you'll get there."

"I…" Rukia tried, fighting back the tickling of tears in her throat as she felt her sister give her hand a small, caring squeeze. She wanted nothing more than to ask her sister to hire a concubine or anyone else to do it, someone who wasn't related to Byakuya, at least. Gods she didn't want to go through…_that_ again, but as she looked upon the saddened face of her ill sister, she didn't have the heart to deny Hisana what she wanted. Hisana was somewhat right, at least. The hardest part was over, and she didn't really have much more to lose, she had already had her virginity and dignity stolen, she'd already given up hope on any form of friendly relationship with her brother and the only thing she could lose that was worth keeping, was the love of her sister. As much as she was beginning to resent Hisana for what she was being put through, she still loved her sister and knew she wouldn't like to lose the close bond they had, "I'm sure I'll get there." She lied with a forced smile and a nod, immediately putting a cheery look onto Hisana's face.

Hisana took the time to ask about Rukia's work in her squad, her friends and what she was doing to busy herself, until a gentle knock at the door prompted them to silence. Retsu popped her head around the door before ushering Rukia out, "I'm sorry to prise Rukia from you, but you need to rest, Hisana."

"Okay," Hisana nodded as she watched the pair turn to leave, "I'll see you at the manor soon, Rukia."

"I hope so, bye," Rukia forced a smile and a nod before leaving, letting Hisana get her much needed rest.

xxxxxxx

Retsu had always preferred Byakuya when he was younger. He had been an impulsive teenager, sometimes bordering on stroppy when he didn't get his own way and he exhibited a lust for life and learning that had other soul reapers running around after him. She remembered how Jūshirō had been one of the only soul reapers to actually be able to properly calm him down, and although Byakuya had listened to her aged advice, and still does, he had certainly given her some lip in his time. But looking up at the distant man he had now become, she hated to think how the elders had managed to crush his teenage sense of anarchy and vivaciousness. They had certainly succeeded in moulding him into the perfect leader for the Kuchiki clan.

"How is she doing?" he asked as he sat down in her office chair, only hours after Rukia had left.

"Better," Retsu confirmed with a smile, "Dialysis had helped clear her liver and it's now functioning again properly."

"You've cured her?" he pressed.

"Unfortunately, no," she explained with a shake of her head, "We still don't know what's causing the problems and the damage the illness has done is irreversible. But her feeling better is good, and it gives us much longer to find out the problem. I'd like to keep her here for a little longer, to make sure she doesn't relapse, and so we can try some more tests, but if she continues to improve, we can release her soon."

"At least the treatments are working," he replied in a calm tone.

"I wouldn't say they're completely working," Retsu said as she thought, "She doesn't seem to be getting completely better, just returning to the way she was before this latest episode. The dialysis is mostly helping her feel better, but treatments aren't actually doing much to help her."

"I see," Byakuya replied with a grimace, "Well I do hope you to find out what the underlying problem is soon."

"We're researching all possible illnesses that present themselves in such a way that Hisana is exhibiting, and through testing we have been able to rule out various illnesses."

"Such as?" Byakuya prompted.

"Cancer, Kawasaki's disease, Sickle-cell disease, Syphilis, Hepatitis," Retsu supplied as she looked over Hisana's charts on her desk, "And various others."

"That's good progress, at least," Byakuya concluded before changing the topic, "Have you heard from my sister, perchance?"

"Yes, she came in here earlier," Retsu said, pulling out Rukia's data from her desk drawer and moving Hisana's file out of the way, "Unfortunately, the pregnancy results came back negative, but we gave her an extensive check-up earlier and we've given her a clean bill of health. Isane has been testing her sample pots this afternoon, and as long as the last blood test comes back clean, then there's no reason whatsoever to suggest that she can't successfully have children."

"I see," Byakuya continued, taking in the news with an inward sigh. He had been wondering about the results for a while now, and since he hadn't heard anything from captain Unohana, Hisana or even Rukia herself by now, he had already guessed that they had come back negative. It wouldn't even be all that long until she would be ready to try again, and he dreaded the thought. Byakuya feared very little, only did he experience the fear of losing his wife, and he was strong and old enough to not have to be afraid of anything, but he would be lying if he said that he didn't fear the look on her face or her awkward body motions the last time they tried for a baby. He just prayed that this time would be better, a lot of the pain will not be present this time, but it won't be any less awkward, that he knew.

"Based on her last month," Retsu carried on, "These are the dates that she will be most fertile, I suggest that you try quite a few times. I know it's difficult, but if you try on every one of the days, then there's a good chance that she'll succeed in becoming pregnant."

"I see," Byakuya repeated, taking on what she was saying, but not really agreeing with the doctor's words. He understood that it takes time and many tries, he and Hisana had tried countless times, but once was bad enough with Rukia, and he doubted he could do it three days in a row. He doubted that she could either. He took the small piece of paper with the dates written on it from Unohana, he would have to take time from his busy schedule and prepare for it, but hopefully, it would lead to the goal, "Is Rukia aware of this?"

"Yes, I've told her the dates," Retsu said with a nod, "Though she knows when they are anyway."

"Could I possibly see my wife?" Byakuya asked, suddenly changing the topic back as he stood up and slipped the paper into his coat sleeve.

"I'm afraid she's sleeping at the moment," Retsu said in a caring tone, "I ran another blood test this afternoon and it tired her, but you can see her for longer this evening when you bring dinner, she would have had time to rest then. She told me that the results came as a sad surprise to her, so I think she wants time to think about them and move on."

"That's probably wise of her," Byakuya agreed, "I'll see her later and speak to her then."

xxxxxxx

Her lips parted in a silent moan as her lover gave a particularly harsh thrust upwards, pushing her harder against the wall. Her fingers threaded through his soft hair as he kissed her hard, almost roughly in their passion. She wrapped her legs around him as he supported her with his body and one hand, as his other had sneaked to her pressure point and helped her towards climax. She wouldn't change this for the world, and she revelled in his actions as his mouth moved to her neck and ear. She would never grow tired of him, and she hoped he would always be around to satisfy her. She gripped onto his shoulders as she felt him move harder and deeper, hitting just the spot that she so loved, as he kissed her again. With his finger's wicked work and his deep moving, she shuddered before she began shaking a little, warning him that it wouldn't be long now.

"I can't…I'm going to…" she breathed against his lips as she felt the familiar sweetness of impending release.

"Then come," she heard his strained voice whisper back.

He felt her squeeze him tightly as she came, her sex flushing him as he trembled against her, the sweet, sweet sensation of her spasms pushing him towards climax. Her hot, whispered moans turned him on further and he groaned against her neck as he joined her in orgasm, his thrusts slowing as she took all he had to give her.

They waited for a short while as they caught their breath, both breathing heavily as sweat dripped down their slicken bodies.

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><p><strong>AN: So, I warned you there would be a lemon! And yeah, there will be another lemon in the next chapter too! But I wanted to keep this couple a secret, so I hope you all don't figure it out too quickly, well, until I update again, that is!**

**Sorry it wasn't a long chapter, it's a bit of a fillery one, just to have an update on things as it were.**


	7. Entwined Fingers

**A/N:**** Thanks for all of the reviews! However, after reading some of the reviews, I realised that maybe I'm not warning you guys enough.**

**I'm not making you read this, so if you don't like weird and awkward explicit scenes with a dash of dub-con, don't read this. I'd rather you not read it and save your pure mind! With that, here are the warnings for this chapter:**

**WARNINGS: EXPLICIT CONTENT WITH DUB-CON LEMON, ANGST, HURTFUL ADULT SCENES WITH AKWARD AND WEIRD SEXUAL SCENES****. ****LANGUAGE****. Also, slight Rukitake, as usual, but also a little light Byaruki.**

**SPOILER ALERT**

**Also, Byakuya is now "dead," how can this happen? I'm devastated, but let's not lose hope that he's still alive and keep the fandom going with Byaruki love 3**

I don't own Bleach.

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><p><span>Chapter Six<span>

Entwined Fingers

Rukia's eyes remained firmly screwed shut and her clammy fingers gripped at the sheets as she heard the familiar click of her door being shut. She could practically feel the room drop by several degrees as her brother silently swept through the room and she had promised herself she wouldn't back down and immediately cry. She stiffened, her heart pounding as she felt the indentation on the bed and heard her bed cry out at the foreign weight.

'It will be alright, it'll be okay, nice and quick', she repeatedly thought to herself as she heard Byakuya move around above her, but she inhaled quickly as she felt his fingers on her thighs. It wouldn't be as bad as last time though, the most painful part was already over and it might not even hurt this time, right? If there were no 'virginity' to take, then there would be no pain. Well that's what she had heard. Saying that, she couldn't help but feel the familiar wave of repulsion as his fingers once again firmly eased her legs apart. He hadn't said a word, made no notion of when he was going to start or that he had even acknowledged her as a human being that had feelings and concerns.

As she listened to the sound of a bottle cap being opened and the bottle being squeezed, she suddenly became aware of how stifling the room suddenly was. She had felt a chill not minutes before, and now he was smothering her and invading her sanctuary, prompting a sick anxiousness to consume her. It was just like before, awkward, suffocating and utterly nerve-wracking.

Byakuya looked down at his sister, as she lay stiff as a board below him. He had convinced himself that it wouldn't be as bad as last time, but looking at her now, he begged to differ. He was beginning to have the same hindrance as last time, and the fantasy of his wife was barely enough to cut out the small sniffles and harsh body language that Rukia was displaying. He positioned himself, lying over her and keeping his body as separate from hers a possible by resting on his forearms. He internally sighed as he began to enter her however, she was barely aroused – as to be expected, but her lack of wetness wouldn't only make it painful for her, but he too would experience discomfort.

Rukia's hold on the sheets tightened as she felt Byakuya begin to push into her and she winced at the familiar burn upon his intrusion. She immediately tensed with pain as he attempted to push further, and she cried out at the stinging, burning friction of his actions. She didn't even know how much she'd taken when tears began to prickle the corners of her eyes, he still felt way to big and it hurt to stretch to accommodate him, something she hoped she would no longer experience. Although it wasn't as painful as to scream like last time, it was enough to bring tears to her eyes and cause her legs to clamp together in protest.

Byakuya knew she was resisting, and although she had now naturally lubricated to accommodate him, her clamping down on him made it difficult. On the one hand, her legs made it difficult for him to move deeper, but as she squeezed the most sensitive part of his body, he couldn't help but internally groan in pleasure. This was sick and wrong on many levels, but the part that disgusted him most was the fact that she felt so fucking good around him. He would have preferred her to be even wetter, to make the insertion easier and remove the slight discomfort, but he couldn't deny how much she was stimulating him. He said nothing as she ever so slowly relaxed, allowing him to thrust the rest of the way in before stilling to allow her to keep up.

Rukia's eyes flew open and she clamped her mouth shut and she tried not to screech in surprise and pain. The burning had intensified it stung to no end as he slowly began to move, thrusting deeply and hitting something hard, causing painful, jarring thuds deep within her. She tried to shake her head of the tears, but soon resigned herself to her small, high-pitched whimpers and cries as Byakuya thrust in harsh strokes.

Byakuya internally sighed, struggling to keep the erotic image of his wife alive as Rukia cried below him. She cried all last time and was crying during this time too…not that he could really blame her. He knew he was thrusting deeply but he was trying anything to get himself to release, but her damned crying was distracting and downright off-putting. He sat up and pulled out, thoroughly disgusted by the situation and her incessant sobbing.

"Stop crying," he said, his voice stable despite his inclination t o snap at her. It wasn't just her crying, it was the fact that he was doing this in the first place, he was angry at his wife for being so desperate for a baby, he was angry that he loved her so much that he'd go through with it, but he was mostly angry with _himself_ for going through with it. She jumped at his sudden speech but immediately stopped crying, a little sniffle her only betrayal. He could see the effects of her crying as her cheeks and nose were stained with pink, and her eyes were beginning to become puffy.

She felt him lie back over her again, what was that? Why did he ask her that? Did he find her crying annoying? She felt him ease into her once again but his continued harsh thrusts prompted tears once more and although she tried her damndest to fight them and keep them to herself, they still ended up streaking down her face. Even the smallest form of comfort would have helped her and she desperately needed some form of reassurance. Through her tear filled eyes she stared at Byakuya's robe covered arm and his slender hand as they stayed beside her head and it only then occurred to her that she could move her arms around. Hisana had always told her to keep her hands firmly by her sides at all times, but then again, it wasn't as if Hisana was watching over her to check. Would Byakuya tell his wife if she were to move her arms a little? Not likely. She doubted that he even discussed the nitty-gritty details of their actions with his wife… or the action in general, for that matter.

She took the opportunity to move her hand up by her head, just inches from Byakuya's and stared at as a means of a distraction to the discomfort.

Byakuya felt her move her hand beside his and his brief glance sideways allowed him to see Rukia fiddling with her fingers, probably as a form of distraction. He could tell she was still crying, her small sniffles and coughs gave that away, but he also realised that as her crying and discomfort continued, he was finding it increasingly difficult to find his climax. He needed it to be over as soon as possible, but he was getting further and further from his goal and the guilt washed over him with every one of Rukia's pained cries and attempts to stop him from moving. He groaned inwardly at Rukia's pained state – this wasn't getting anywhere and although his wife wouldn't be too pleased with what he was about to do, at least it might get them somewhere. He quickly moved his hand over hers before giving her small, bony hand a tight squeeze.

Rukia gasped as she turned her head towards his, brushing her hot, wet cheek against his, cool and dry in comparison. She looked up at the ceiling as she moved her fingers to grip his hand hard, trying with all her might to squeeze his hand as he continued his painful movements. She was rewarded with a small squeeze back and she gripped his hand tightly, her eyes screwed shut as her tears slowed but refused to cease. His hand felt warm, large and comforting to her and she remembered for the first time in a long while that despite his cold, abrupt and harsh persona, Byakuya was human too. He was probably finding it just as difficult and emotionally and physically painful as her.

With Rukia's hand firmly clutching his, and her whimpers quieting, Byakuya was able to concentrate on his thoughts and finally grasp a pleasured feeling. He used his base stock of stored images for arousing material, and now that Rukia's legs had relaxed a fraction, he was able to move more easily and manoeuvre to what felt good for him. He noticed with disgusted arousal that Rukia was tighter than Hisana, perhaps due to her lack of sexual experience, and he couldn't help but internally moan at Rukia's virginal tightness and how incredible she felt around him. With what felt like a lifetime for Rukia, a very long and painful lifetime, Byakuya's thrusting finally became slightly irregular, signalling the end. She grimaced as she felt him release, the same disgusted feeling washing over her as he tried to impregnate her. Again, he made no noise or verbal inclination of his release; neither did his straight face reveal any change. She snapped her eyes shut and turned her head to the side again as he finally sat up and pulled out, making her wince like last time at his rather rough treatment of her. She felt him s climb off the bed and heard the sound of her door shutting just seconds after.

She no longer cared that her sister had requested she lie down for several minutes after each time it happened, to ensure conception, and now gingerly made her way to the bathroom so scrub herself of her brother's essence. She couldn't hold back her small sob as warm wetness disgustingly trickled down to her upper thighs, and she didn't know if it was her own, her brother's, or both of their by-products of fucking.

xxxxxxx

The woman giggled to herself softly as she looked over at her sleeping partner. Perhaps she had overdone it? She generally knew how to handle him, but there are odd times when he just couldn't carry on or ended up falling asleep just after they had finished. He had satisfied her well today, but she could tell that there was something distracting him, something niggling away in the back of his mind, maybe? She had known him long enough to know when something was bothering him. She liked it when he slept however, it took years off his face, even though he hardly seemed to age visually, and it's a time when he's genuinely at peace. She reached over to his hand and played idly with his slender fingers, as she wished he would put a little more weight on for his health, any skinnier and he would be wasting away. She shrugged to herself however, she wasn't his mother, or his girlfriend, and so she couldn't really lecture him on his weight. From a doctor's perspective she could point him in the right direction, but it wouldn't help, he was sinewy by nature. He was physically fit however, and that was enough for him. She lifted all of his fingers in turn before letting her hand rest on his.

It was only mid-morning and she was thoroughly enjoying her day off. After all the extra hours she had had to put in over the past two weeks due to both a high traffic of injured soul reapers and the problems Hisana has brought to her health division, she deserved a break. She envied her partner's ability to sleep practically anytime and anywhere, for even though she had pulled a few all-nighters during the past week, sleep now evaded her. She had hoped that vigorous sex would help her calm down and sleep, but she still felt restless. Perhaps another round would help? Saying that, she doubted the man next to her could go again. She heard him inhale deeply before groaning, his hand pulling from under hers and landing on his forehead as he groggily awoke.

"Sorry, I fell asleep," he mumbled blearily as he rubbed his eyes and leant over to look at the clock on the bedside table.

"I think I overdid it," Retsu replied with a smile, looking over at him.

"I enjoyed your 'overdoing'," he grinned as he lay back down, sighing contentedly, "I guess it just made me tired."

"I wish I could sleep," Retsu replied wistfully, now looking up at the ceiling, "I was hoping to catch up on sleep during my day off. I've left Isane to run around and do my work for the day, poor girl."

"She's a good vice-captain," he pointed out, "She'll cope well. It's my vice-captain you've got to feel sorry for."

"How so?" Retsu asked, challenging him as she raised her eyebrows and sat up on her forearm as she turned to him.

"Well, since I'm here playing hooky with you, she's got to deal with Kiyone and Sentarō singlehandedly," he pointed out, "And because I've been missing from my squad for more than two minutes, they're going to be going crazy wondering where I am."

"Oh, yes," Retsu replied thoughtfully, "I had forgotten about them."

Jūshirō sighed beside Retsu, not wanting to get up and leave the warmth of her bed, but she deserved her sleep and rest after her constant work and he needed to get up and rein in his wayward third seats. He had noticed that Retsu had been in need of his company a lot more than usual lately, and even their usual routine of 'meet up, have sex, and leave' had been turning into dinners and meet-ups on some evenings. He knew that she wasn't interested in dating again, but it was more a form of friendship with benefits. He knew that since Hisana's sudden turn of illness, she had been working non-stop and often through the night, so she needed the rush of adrenaline and a way to unwind – she just decided to choose him to relieve the pressure of the job.

It had been awkward at first, just meeting up for sex and then leaving again straight after, but as the years continued, it had become surprisingly easier. They had loved each other at one point, but that was a long time ago, when they were newly appointed captains and not long out of the academy, fresh and rosy-cheeked with excitement and youth for the road ahead. Three failed attempts at a relationship later had seen them in their current situation. It just wasn't meant to be. There was always something in the way: their mismatched schedules, his illness, and her dedication to her work. After the third and longest attempt, they had resigned themselves to the fact that it wasn't going work. Instead, they each decided to remain single but took the best part of the relationship and kept it as simple, casual and unattached sex. Stress relief and company, that's all they needed, and it worked well for them. They've broken up the 'pact' several times since its conception however, as they've both dated other people now and again, but in the end, they've always come back to each other, often depressed, upset and on rare occasions, heartbroken.

"What's wrong?" he heard her ask, snapping him from his thoughts.

"Oh, nothing," he smiled with a shake of his head.

Retsu pursed her lips, he could be as stubborn as the rest of them, and she realised that she would have to ease it out of him, "Work has been busy recently." She tried, making light conversation in the hopes of being pointed in the right direction.

"Nothing too strenuous on our end of the Seireitei," he supplied, giving nothing away with his casual tone, "I'm sorry it's been busy on your end."

"It's fine," she replied, "Nothing a little rest and relaxation can't fix."

"I see," he grinned as her hand had made its way back to his.

She matched his grin; he's obviously in a playful mood despite his distraction during the last few hours. Maybe she could get it out of him if she teased him a little, "You know, I've got something rather humorous to tell you." She smiled as she turned on her side to face him, her fingers now running up his toned torso as his muscles rippled in response.

"And that is?" he asked as his hand quickly covered hers, stopping her in her tracks. He could feel himself beginning to stir again, and although he would have loved to relieve her of her stress again, he needed to get back to his squad soon and the more she played with his chest, the harder it would become to resist her. That was always his undoing, he could never say no to her.

"Well," she smirked as her efforts were thwarted, he was too damned intelligent for his own good, "I've heard from Isane that Nanao said that Kiyone told her that you have quite a thing for your vice-captain."

"Oh not this again," Jūshirō sighed, rolling his eyes in frustration. Damned women and their incessant gossiping!

Retsu smirked, was she on to a winner? "Not what again?"

"I've already been told by Shunsui that apparently I have crush on Rukia, news that came from that Women's club you attend," he sighed, this was getting ridiculous now.

"It's okay if you like her," Retsu said seriously as she heard the sigh in his tone. "You know you're free to date anyone you like and call a stop to this, you've done so in the past. As have I."

"It's not us," Jūshirō tried to explain as he sat up and moved his pillow back so he could sit up and against the headboard. Retsu moved to rest her head on his chest and he naturally wrapped his arm around her to comfort her, "I just don't like her in that way, and she doesn't like me fancy me either. I care about her, yes, but as a sister. I see her as I see my sisters: young, strong women who also need care and comfort now and again. She's going through a lot right now, and I have a duty to help her, as her colleague, superior and friend."

"I know," Retsu replied gently, realising that the issue could be Rukia's situation, "But what I'm saying is that if you _do_ like her, then you're free to go at any point and pursue a normal relationship."

"I don't like her," he concluded, "And the relationship would hardly be normal. She's trying to get pregnant with her brother's child!"

"There's no reason you can't have a happy relationship with her once she's had the child," Retsu argued, "She'd be good for you, and you need someone permanent in your life. Perhaps she can put you in your place." She laughed as she shrugged out of his hold and sat up properly next to him. He looked irritated but he couldn't hide the tiny smile at the corners of his mouth at the statement.

"Why are we having this conversation?" he asked, looking down at her as he crossed his arms.

"There was something bothering you, and you wouldn't tell me," Retsu mocked a sulk, "Besides, it would be nice if you could find someone and be happy."

"I'm already happy with what I have!" he argued, "If I do happen to find a girl that I actually like, then I'm sure I'll try dating her, but since that hasn't happened yet, I'll just stick to our current arrangement."

Retsu sighed, exasperated. She hated it when he was being stubborn, but then, if he didn't have romantic feelings for Rukia, then he simply didn't have them, and prodding at him wouldn't inspire them either, "I just want you to be happy. I care about you."

"I am happy," he assured her as he moved to sit on the side of the bed before reaching down to the pile of clothes and fishing out his underwear, "I care about you too, but stop your probing and I'll be even happier. You need to concentrate on resting so that you can go back to work tomorrow." She nestled into the pillows as she watched with him get dressed, a small smile on her face. She yawned and closed her eyes as she took to listening to him tie his Shihakusho sash and shrug on his captain's coat, perhaps she could fall asleep after all. Such would be a much-appreciated luxury.

"Retsu," Jūshirō's unsure tone pulled her from her thoughts of sleep as her eyes opened quickly to look over at him. She frowned at him before catching sight of the butterfly that was speedily making its way across the room to her. She groaned as it landed on her finger, hoping it was nothing.

Jūshirō watched as Retsu's once calm features now twisted to that of shock and worry as the butterfly crumbled to nothing and she hastily threw herself from the bed, stark naked as she picked up her underwear and wiggled into it. Jūshirō busied himself as he picked up the remainder of her clothes that he had hastily thrown half way across the room several hours before.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he handed the Shihakusho and captain's robe to her.

"It's Hisana," she explained as she stepped into her Shihakusho trousers, "She's taken a turn for the worse and she's reacted badly to a drug we've been trying her on. I don't understand, yesterday she seemed to be getting better, and now she's turned again."

Jūshirō grimaced but said nothing, only nodding in acknowledgement. He helped her into her captain's robe as words escaped him, what should he say? He wasn't a doctor, he didn't know what to suggest or do, and they had no idea what was wrong or if it was fatal or not.

"Try your best," he decided to stick with as he followed her out of her private room and out of the living quarters before walking across the open space that led to the relief centre.

"I always do," she smiled.

"I know," he returned her smile, "And if you need me, I'm only on the other side of the Seireitei."

"I'll send for you if the mood takes me," she agreed before smiling once more and turning on her heels, flash stepping into the centre. Jūshirō watched as she flash stepped away before flash stepping to his own squad, suddenly dreading what state the barracks will be in.

xxxxxxx

"What's happened?" Retsu called loudly down the hall towards her office as members of her squad rushed around her, "Where is Isane?"

"In Lady Kuchiki's room," a girl replied, trotting beside Retsu in order to keep up with the long strides.

Retsu took some paperwork from the girl before stepping up the pace so the girl struggled to follow, letting her think in peace as she made her way to Hisana's room.

"Captain!" Isane exclaimed, a look of pure relief plastering her face as she whipped around to greet her superior.

"What happened?" Retsu repeated as she moved over to stand at the bottom of the bed where the rest of the paperwork sat. She looked up briefly at Hisana's limp form and couldn't help but grimace.

"She seized," Isane explained.

"She had a seizure?" Retsu paled as her eyes widened.

"Yes," Isane confirmed grimly, "I've given her a muscle relaxant and she's in and out of sleep at the moment."

"What caused the seizure?" Retsu asked, moving to look at Isane's records.

"We don't know," Isane looked down, slightly embarrassed about her lack of knowledge, "It could be anything. It's most likely the case that we've put her on a drug that has affected her, or taken her off one too fast. It could also be an anxiety attack, or simply lack of sleep or dehydration. We've ruled out infection and a fever with tests."

"Was there anything out of the ordinary before she seized?" Retsu asked, listening to Hisana's shallow breathing as she slept.

"She dropped a cup of water this morning, but she's never been clumsy before," Isane replied casually as she tapped her chin with a pen in thought, "But she didn't knock it off her bedside table or accidently drop it and try and catch it in haste or anything when she picked it up. In fact she sort of didn't realise she had dropped it until it clattered on the floor next to her bed."

"Strange," Retsu agreed, "Anything else?"

"She also seemed a little confused earlier," Isane wracked her brain for material, "It was before she fell asleep so it was a little muffled, but she seemed to think that captain Kuchiki would be visiting her in the morning, but we told her he'd visit in the evening, like always. She then became a little distressed and repeated over and over that he'd visit in the morning, like yesterday."

"He visited her while she slept yesterday afternoon," Retsu replied, ashen faced, "She never saw him yesterday."

"W-What does it mean?" Isane asked.

"These symptoms suggest a neurological complication," Retsu replied with a quiet voice before clearing her throat, "It's affecting her perception of time, memory and pattern."

"What is 'it'?" Isane asked, as her captain was deep in thought. "Captain?" She prompted after a short while.

"I don't know, Isane," Retsu replied, suddenly feeling very thinly spread once more. She had hoped that her day off would have allowed her to rest and think, but now she felt close to breaking point and she felt stretched and pushed for time they didn't have.

"Captain?" a knock at the door distracted them, and a male soul reaper entered, "I have Lady Kuchiki's urine pot sample results."

"Thank you," Isane replied for her stressed captain as she took the pot and read the paper accompaniment, "There's a lot of blood in her urine." Isane looked up at her captain.

"Her liver is still failing," Retsu concluded, "And we still don't know what's wrong with her."

xxxxxxx

Retsu sighed as she reached down to grab her body wash, hot droplets running down her arms, breasts stomach as the shower bore down on her. It was the early hours of the morning and she and Isane had spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the library, trawling through journal after journal in the medical section in order to put her symptoms together and make a conclusion. They found nothing substantial in the section they checked and decided to return tomorrow to make a start on the other medical sections. She'd even gone as far as to give captain Kurotsuchi a phial of Hisana's blood and urine for tests, to see if he could spot anything. She doubted he would find anything anyway.

She felt like throwing caution to the wind and wanted to cry the stress away. She was running out of time and options, and she knew that Hisana was slowly dying. She put her hand on the steamed up window pane of the shower door to distract herself from crying, but she had realised that if they didn't figure out what was wrong very soon, Hisana would be dead long before she would even get a chance to see the baby Rukia was making for her.

She inwardly cursed herself as the threat of tears tickled her throat; she was both exhausted and clueless, with the outcome of a young woman resting on her. She hung her head under the jet as she decided to call Jūshirō; she needed a shoulder to cry on.

xxxxxxx

As briefly and awkwardly instructed by Byakuya, who had been informed by Unohana, Rukia prepared herself for a second night. The previous night had been bad enough, and she knew that two times in a row would leave her feeling sore.

Byakuya pushed open the door slowly before making his way over to Rukia, noting once again, her rigid, frightened state. He sighed inwardly. He didn't want to be here and she didn't want him here, so how they managed to get through it every time astounded him. He still had no idea what had possessed him to grip her hand last night, desperation perhaps? Was it sheer and utter desperation for her to stop sobbing her heart out as he thrust himself in and out of her? She had hardly been wet and it had just made things all the more difficult and awkward for the both of them. Moreover, Hisana had now been in the relief centre for a month and she showed no significant improvement. They kept information to a minimal and he was beginning to become distrustful of the small information that they were feeding him. He was becoming fearful for their lack of a conclusion and treatment and he knew deep down that there was a real chance that Hisana was running out of time. Put into perspective, it made this whole baby thing seem redundant. Why have a child when she's too ill to take care of it?

He looked over at her as he stood next to her bed, spying some erotically covered book that had been shoved on her bedside table, no doubt in haste after he had entered her room without much prior notice. What filth was Hisana giving to her now? He disapproved of Hisana's liking to such pornographic novels, she seemed to read and think about such things rather than trying them out with him, despite his willingness to do such things. Hisana was a dreamer, and as such she was much happier dreaming about a perfect Prince Charming character than finding one within her husband. Byakuya was far from perfect, but he tried to be a good husband. He just wished she would appreciate him a little more. His gaze flickered to Rukia once more before he turned on his heels and exited the room. He definitely wasn't in the mood to put up with his sister's pained sobs, and his body couldn't take another hard thorough scrubbing like last night. He cared not for captain Unohana's advice right now, and if she wasn't pregnant again this month, then they'd have to try again next month, or the month after, wouldn't they? He could try again once he'd had some distance and time away from her. One night a month was definitely the limit.

xxxxxxx

Why did he walk out? If they wanted a decent chance of her becoming pregnant, then they'd have to try for several days, or so Byakuya had quickly said a few days before they began trying again. She shrugged, she just didn't know what was going on in his head, but then, she mostly didn't want to know. Then there was that hand holding thing…why'd he do that? Lord, it had confused and shocked her, but at the time she hadn't the time or the care to question it, but now, looking back at it, it just confused her all the more. She had broken her sister's orders to keep her hands by her sides at all times, but it was Byakuya who took her hand in his and took some initiative to comfort her, not herself. She didn't know what instructions Hisana had given to Byakuya regarding the protocol. She had also only just taken the time to realise that Hisana was still in the relief centre, despite her 'small' cold. Don't colds only last a few days? Given her recent situation, she hadn't the time to put much thought into it, but if that were the case, then is Hisana more ill than captain Unohana let on? Maybe that's what's affecting Byakuya?

"Deep in thought?" a voice prompted her from her thoughts and she looked up to meet the gaze of her captain.

"Yeah," she mumbled as she grabbed at the paperwork she had temporarily neglected.

"You look tired," her captain said as he sat down at his own desk.

"You do too," Rukia pointed out.

"I suppose that's true," Jūshirō replied with a small shrug. He'd been up all night with Retsu as she had alternated between pacing around her room, firing medical terms at him and crying all over him as they sat on the bed. It wasn't until he had pinned her down to the bed and held onto her did she manage to put her over-active mind to sleep. He looked down at his desk and grimaced, he wasn't one to shirk off work and responsibility but concentration evaded him and all of his trying to complete his work this morning had turned out fruitless. This was getting nowhere, and he could tell Rukia was also distracted; it didn't take genius to figure out why.

"Kiyone, Sentarō," he suddenly called loudly, making Rukia jump. As if on cue, the pair came running into his office, loyally standing opposite his desk and ready for instruction, "Rukia and I are going to the living world for the day to check on the status of the substitute soul reaper. Sentarō, you will temporarily take my place, and Kiyone, you will take Rukia's place. We'll be back at the end of the day. Oh, and no fighting."

"But captain, why can't I be the captain?" Kiyone protested upon seeing Sentarō's smug look.

"Because I said so," he replied firmly, "End of discussion."

He resolved himself to get more sleep at night; lack to sleep seemed to make him incredibly grouchy and irritable. Rukia stood up and followed him out of the office, thoroughly confused, but she followed instruction nonetheless. She followed behind him for several minutes as he led the way to the Senkaimon before she decided to question his authority.

"Captain, we're not due to check on Ichigo's status," she pointed out as she jogged to catch up with him, "There are already stationed soul reapers there to keep an eye out for him. Besides, he hasn't done anything wrong to warrant us checking up on him."

"I know," he replied with a smile as he looked down at her.

"Then what _are_ we doing in the living world this afternoon?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Relaxing, eating cake, shopping, visiting friends, anything really," he replied casually, despite Rukia's incredulous expression.

"Why?' she asked, almost horrified that he was casually skipping work to bum around, it sounded like something captain Kyoraku would do, not him. Maybe he'd spent too much time around the drunken captain, and it was having negative effects on him?

"Well, I'd like a break from everything that's going on," he pointed out, "And I know you'd like a break and a chance to distance yourself from…everything."

Rukia looked down at her feet as she took in his words, she hadn't really considered a trip to the living world as an option to take her mind of things. For one, she thought she'd never get the time off work to take a mini-vacation, even if it was for just an afternoon or overnight somewhere. But now that he mentioned it, she certainly wouldn't say no to a relaxing trip to the living world and she would actually like to see her friends Ichigo and Orihime again.

"Besides," he continued with a smile, "I've ran out of my favourite hair products and I buy them from the living world as I can't buy them here. Also, I feel like eating cake and there's this good cake shop in Karakura town that I'd like to visit."

Rukia shook her head at the audacity of her captain, but then since he was the captain, he could do anything he wanted, right? Still, she couldn't complain. She kept up with his speed as they went through the Senkaimon and into Karakura town before stopping at Urahara's to pick up their Gigai.

"Where to now?" Rukia asked as she straightened the dress on her Gigai, following her captain out of the Urahara shop.

"We can catch a bus to the shopping district and go to the cake shop, if you like," he suggested as he patted down his clothes: a dusty black t-shirt and beige cargo shorts. He didn't always agree with the fashion that came pre-loaded with their Gigai, but it was only for a short while and it wasn't if he was trying to attract a girl or anything. Rukia nodded up at him before following him to bus stop around the corner and pulling out her phone from her dress pocket.

"I'll text Ichigo and see if he wants to meet up!" she suggested happily, now looking forward to seeing him.

"Sure," Jūshirō agreed, pleased that Rukia was enjoying herself for once. He watched as she fiddled with her phone for a few minutes, and luckily the wait for the bus was mercifully short. Much to his annoyance however, the driver charged him with an OAP ticket and charged Rukia with a young adult, and although the tickets turned out cheaper that way, he hated when people naturally assumed he was an old man. He was, to the average human of course, but given the grand scheme of things, he was in fact only middle aged. Still, he grumbled to himself as he stood up and leant against the window, Rukia standing in front of him. He really needed more sleep at night.

"You should hang on to something," he warned Rukia, who had still not reached up to grip an over-head handle.

"It's okay," she challenged confidently as she turned to face him, "I come to the living world all the time and I've never fallen…oh…" Her words were cut short however as the bus unexpectedly lurched forward, forcing Rukia forward and straight into him, her face making contact with his chest as he gripped her arms in order to stop her from completely falling over.

"Well…this is a little too close for comfort," he said after a few seconds as Rukia was crushed up against him.

"Uh huh," Rukia agreed, straightening up now and moving away from him, her face blazing red with embarrassment as she gripped the handle. The group of boys who were laughing at the back didn't help. Curse her being in the living world, if this were the soul society, she would have torn them a new one and then Kido blasted their asses into Rukongai by now. She looked around and them and threw them a look, silencing them immediately.

"Rukia, are you okay?" Jūshirō asked as he bent down to become face level with her.

"Y-yeah," she mumbled, her face still blazing with embarrassment.

"Are you sure?" he asked, concerned now as his embarrassment was forgotten.

"I'm fine," she assured him, looking up occasionally to meet his concerned gaze, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he laughed, "I wasn't the one who face-planted into someone."

"I suppose not," she laughed nervously, knowing that she would never live this down.

Thankfully, the buzzing of her phone provided a much welcome distraction to her embarrassment, and she held it close to her ear as she answered it.

"You obviously care for your daughter," came the voice of an older woman, prompting Jūshirō to look around to meet the woman's gaze.

"Oh," he replied, meeting her gaze with a laugh, "She's not my daughter."

"Your sister, then," the woman continued as she gave an obvious eyelash bat and a blush before getting off the bus as it came to the next stop.

"She's not my…sister…" he tried but trailed off as she left the bus. Was she flirting with him with her obvious blush and smile? He shrugged his shoulders before turning to Rukia, who was still on the phone. He waited for Rukia to finish her conversation as the buss pulled out of the stop and carried on down the road to town, only a few stops more.

"Ichigo has finished with classes for the morning," Rukia turned to her captain with a smile, and her genuine smile of happiness warmed him, "Maybe we can meet up with him, if that's okay?"

"Of course," he encouraged, "It's good to relate to young men your own age. Or even get a boyfriend one day."

"Oh, it's not like that," Rukia denied quickly, "I don't see Ichigo as anything other than a friend."

"I know," Jūshirō encouraged, "But it would be nice if you found someone." Jūshirō immediately internally grimaced – he was starting to sound like Retsu, but he was just trying to help her find happiness. He shook his head; he was acting like a father or an older brother – by prying into her life and trying to help her by suggesting things she may not be ready for. He cared about her is all, and he hated to see her unhappy.

Rukia wore a permanent blush for the rest of the buss ride and was grateful for Ichigo's presence as he met them at the buss stop. She quickly hopped off to greet Ichigo and gasped in surprise as Orihime popped her head around from the taller redhead.

"Captain Ukitake," Ichigo greeted, surprised to see him accompanying Rukia.

"Kurosaki," he replied courteously before turning to Rukia, "The cake shop is opposite, just across the street. I also think there's some kind of plushie shop around here, Kurosaki, do you know the one I mean?"

"I do!" Orihime filled in for Ichigo's silence.

"Good, could I ask a favour of you please, Miss Inoue," Jūshirō requested with a smile, "But I'll need to ask you in private."

"Okay," she nodded and followed him around the immediate corner.

"What's that about?" Ichigo muttered as he adjusted his shoulder bag a little.

"No idea," Rukia replied with a confused look, what could he want with Orihime?

"Maybe he likes her?" Ichigo answered casually, "Bit of a cradle snatcher, though."

"L-l-likes her?" Rukia stuttered, in utter shock. Her captain likes Orihime? They hardly know each other and Orihime is still alive for one, surely the biggest obstacle of all? "I doubt it, he hardly knows her, and she's way too young for him!"

"Okay, sheesh, keep your panties on," Ichigo quickly calmed her, "It was only a joke. Why are you so bothered who he likes, anyway?"

"I'm not bothered," she defended as a blush crept over her, "I was just pointing out the obvious."

"Sure," Ichigo smirked, pleased at the ample teasing material, "Maybe you like him."

"I don't!" she protested loudly, putting Ichigo out a little at her sudden outburst, "Why do people keep saying that? He's my boss and friend, nothing more. Stop making things up!"

"Rukia, relax," he tried, now genuine, "Again, I was just joking…"

"I'm going to the plushie shop!" she cried out, stomping off in the direction of the shops.

"What was that outburst?" Orihime asked as she and Jūshirō rounded the corner once more.

"Rukia," Ichigo replied with a shrug, "I'm not sure what's wrong with her. She can usually take a joke, but she seems edgy and grumpy today."

Jūshirō grimaced, things were obviously getting to her, and he had hoped that this trip would have cheered her up. Maybe his pact with Orihime could make her happier.

"Where is she?" he asked, now worried that she had stomped off in a huff.

"She said she was going to the plushie shop," he shrugged.

"Oh, I'll catch up with her." Orihime smiled before dashing off after the young Kuchiki.

xxxxxxx

"I'm glad the toys make you feel slightly better," Orihime put gently as she browsed the brightly coloured stuffed animal plushies.

"They do," Rukia smiled, now feeling a little calmer. Though, thinking about it, why had she gotten so mad at Ichigo, normally she could take a joke, but today, she felt all over the place. Her hands flews to her stomach, was this pregnancy? No, it's too early to tell, isn't it? She turned to face Orihime, who was a section across from her, looking at the cat plushies, and the curiosity killed the cat. "Orihime, what were you talking to my captain about?"

"Stuff," Orihime replied as casually as she could as she looked around for the other animal types.

Stuff? Well, that's ambiguous, but was Ichigo correct in his joking? She picked up a small duck and fingered the ribbon as she rubbed the soft silk between her fingers and smiled. A dark and unbidden thought occurred to her, she and Hisana would no doubt be picking out toys not too dissimilar if not the same as these, and she would have to pick out those plushies that she loved so much for the child she would soon bear.

Upon seeing Rukia pale, Orihime pointed over to the rabbit plushies, which she knew Rukia liked best. She picked one up and watched as Rukia looked at a few avidly, scanning from shelf to shelf.

"I like this one," Orihime lifted one off the shelf that Rukia had been practically drooling over.

"It's the Limited Edition fluffy Chappy," Rukia automatically filled in before Orihime had even a chance to check the tag, "It's the softest and cutest ever made, and there's only few hundred made."

Orihime laughed upon seeing Rukia's large eyes and small smile, "It's certainly a pretty toy."

"It is," Rukia nodded in agreement, stroking the heavenly soft fur, "It's limited edition, so it's very special. But it's so expensive."

Orihime watched Rukia's face fall a little as they checked the price tag together, holy fuck, it's pricey. What's it stitched with, woven gold and golden thread? Limited edition? At least three regular teddies cost the same as this single one, and all the bears in this shop weren't cheap at that. She felt her friend's excitement fall and her own face fell as she sensed Rukia's previous melancholy.

"Can't you afford it?" Orihime asked, knowing full well of the Kuchiki wealth.

"Of course," Rukia said quickly, pride controlling her voice, "But I have to ask Nii-sama to have access to the Kuchiki money, and seeing as I've spent a lot of money on birthday presents and snacks and things recently, I can't afford to spend so much on a plushie."

"That's a shame," Orihime agreed as Rukia nodded her head, "But I think I'll take it." Rukia's head shot up as mild jealousy quickly took over, how could she afford the toy?

"You're buying it?" Rukia could hardly contain both her surprise and sudden sadness. She couldn't even save for it now.

"Yeah, it'll go great in between my other plushies," she smiled as she gave it a thorough look for imperfections, and finding none, headed towards the counter, "I've got a gap on my shelf that it'll fit nicely into."

"How can you afford it?" Rukia couldn't help but ask as the beautifully cute rabbit was handed over to the smiling cashier.

"I've been working a lot of overtime recently at my part-time job," she replied, looking down at Rukia's crestfallen face, "I've been working at the weekends and after school."

"Oh", Rukia understood, but tried to hide the sadness and slight annoyance in her voice, "I see. That's good."

"Yeah," Orihime concluded as she took her purse out of her bag and pulled out the cash, making Rukia raise her eyebrows. Isn't it strange to carry this amount of money around in cash? Rukia watched sadly as the cashier took the money before giving the rabbit a pat down for dust and wrapping it in pink paper with a ribbon to seal it. She then put it in a bag and handed it to Orihime with a wide smile and a 'good day.'

Rukia was of course, a little jealous that Orihime had picked up the plushie of her dreams, but she realised that it needn't ruin her day, and she found that just spending time away from her problems and engaging in her favourite activities with friends, could make a large difference to her mood indeed. They hurriedly met back up with Ichigo before heading to the electronics store and checking out the newest phones and computers, all of which fascinated Rukia. She had almost forgotten about her captain, until he showed up with bags of his own, apparently he had been running errands, but Rukia knew that he had been shopping for hair care products and other girly items. She rolled her eyes at him and laughed, he could be so girly sometimes. He had then endeavoured to usher them to the cake shop, another 'girly' habit, causing her to shake her head all the more.

"Rolling your eyes?" Jūshirō asked with raised a raised brow as she thought about these habits.

"Just thinking of something," she laughed her face full flush.

"Uh huh," he replied casually before requesting Orihime's presence once more and followed her out of the shop.

"There's definitely something going on," Ichigo murmured between bites of cake, causing Rukia to frown, what should she care if her captain and Orihime started dating? It would be good for them. "I'll ask Orihime later." He continued.

Rukia shrugged, should she ask her captain? But then she could hardly look at him without remembering her crashing into him and subsequent furious blushing. But it wasn't her business and she had no place to ask.

"You're blushing," Ichigo smirked.

"It's warm in here," she retorted quickly as she finished her slice of cake.

"Sure you're not thinking about your captain," he teased.

"Shut up," she snapped, "I wasn't, I don't like him."

"Don't like who?" Orihime asked as she and Jūshirō sat back down at the table.

"Don Kanonji," Ichigo replied without hesitation, "We were saying how fake he is."

"I thought you liked him," Orihime pouted, "You used to enjoy his shows."

"That's before I saw his new show at Ichigo's house, the new one seemed quite fake," she continued with her best poker face.

"I haven't seen his new one," Orihime murmured in thought.

"Ah, excuse me," Jūshirō said suddenly before taking his phone out of his pocket and answering it. His face fell as he listened to the pre-recorded call.

"Is something wrong?" Rukia asked as her captain now looked worried as he held the phone up to his ear.

"I need to head back to soul society," Jūshirō sighed, disappointed that their fun afternoon was being cut short, but Retsu had sounded worried and he knew she was still saddened, "Something has come up."

"Is everyone okay?" Rukia asked, now worried for this news.

"Yes, everyone is fine," Jūshirō replied gently, "It's a captain's affair."

"Good," Rukia visibly relaxed as she was relieved that no one was hurt, "Then we should head back now."

"We'll walk you back to Urahara's shop." Ichigo suggested and Orihime nodded in agreement.

Jūshirō decided to get some cakes to go as they left the shop, in case he or Rukia were to end up feeling melancholic in the next few days. He grimaced as he left, something told him that may be the case. They caught the bus back to the Urahara shop and he smiled as Rukia and Orihime talked for most of the way back, it was nice to see her happy and engaging with her friends.

"Orihime?" Rukia asked shyly as they exited the bus and walked towards the shop, nerves suddenly creeping within her, though she knew not why, "Do you have a thing for m-my captain?"

"Of course not," Orihime laughed lightly at the smaller girl's question, "What makes you say that?"

"You were talking to him a lot today, in private," Rukia explained, pleased that Ichigo and her captain were walking quite far in front of them, "He requested your presence several times."

"Ah, yes," Orihime replied with a smile, "I had asked to speak to him in private the last time I was in the Soul Society, but he was really busy, and we had to leave. So he asked what I wanted to talk about, and I said that I wanted to thank him. I wanted to thank him for his help in training us last summer and letting us use his squad's grounds for training and practise. I've become much stronger with the help he gave me, so I wanted to thank him, because I couldn't at the time."

"Oh," Rukia replied sheepishly, now feeling stupid that she had thought Orihime had a crush or liking for her captain, "Well it's good that you got to thank him."

"Yes," Orihime agreed, "He's a lovely guy and a great captain, but there's someone else I like."

"Who?" Rukia asked with excitement, she had no idea that Orihime had an existing crush.

"It's a secret," she teased, but as soon as Rukia scowled and looked away, her eyes flitted to the crass teenage boy only a few steps in front of her.

xxxxxxx

Jūshirō sighed as he cleared the papers on his desk, utterly tired. He had of course rushed over to see Retsu, who upon charting that Hisana's condition was still worsening, had been in need of a sit down and a comforting talk. He had left her feeling better, but he knew that the right thing to do was to visit her in the evening and ask if she was looking for company. He was dog-tired and couldn't even entertain the idea of being 'in the mood,' but he could at least lie down with her and hug. He watched as Rukia also cleared her desk and headed up the stairs to the living quarters. He quickly pulled open his desk drawer and grabbed what he needed before following her and stopping her before she went into her room.

"Rukia."

"Yes, captain," she asked, turning around to face him.

"I have something for you," he replied with a smile before handing her an item wrapped in paper.

Her face was frozen as he handed her the pink-papered item and she knew in an instant exactly what it was. She couldn't move her fingers as her trembling hands held the package, and she fought the sudden overwhelming urge to cry.

"Why?" was all she could ask in a strained whisper.

"You're going through a lot right now," he explained with a smile, though the tears in the corners of her eyes concerned him, "And I wanted to do something nice for you. No one has really stopped and listened to what you want and what you're thinking, despite the fact that you're so young and inexperienced in life. I think that we should do more to help you, I know captain Unohana is trying to give you advice and counselling, but sometimes you just need comfort and kindness. I worry about you and I wanted to get you something in the hopes that it would make you happy."

He smiled as a tear fell down her cheek, prompting him to take a clean tissue from his sleeve and hand it to her.

"Thank you," she choked, trying to keep it together, despite the need to cry into him. It was times like this that she wanted the closeness that she once held with her sister, before all this, before she married Byakuya even. She needed that familial love in all its glory, the feeling of safety and warmth and the knowledge that no matter what the problem, Hisana would always make it better.

"You're welcome," he replied gently, smiling, "So be happy and stop crying."

"Okay," she half smiled, half laughed.

"I'm going to have to go and make sure captain Kyoraku isn't drinking himself into oblivion," Jūshirō said, it was a little white lie, but his activities with Retsu were secret, after all, "Miss Ise isn't quite large and strong enough to carry him home singlehandedly, poor thing." That part was wholly true.

"Okay, thank you," she repeated as her tears stopped a little.

"Chin up, kiddo," he smiled as he patted her head before turning to leave.

Rukia smiled as she entered her room looking at the pink paper as it crinkled under her fingers. She sat on her bed as she fingered the ribbon that had sealed it up, Orihime must have bought it on her captain's orders, and that's what he must have talked to her about in private. It's so expensive, how did he afford it? He's on captain's wage, and of low noble birth, so they must be fairly well off…still, it was a lot of money but she was thoroughly grateful for the toy. She undid the ribbon and pulled the rabbit out of the paper, still in pristine condition. The bear had the limited edition certificate still in the paper, and the tags on the bear made it worth exponentially more, if she were to keep it in its pristine condition and wait for a few years, it would be worth a small fortune. As she put the paper on her dresser she retuned to her bed and changed into her pyjamas, fiddling with the rabbit as she lay in bed. She hugged it to her, not even caring if the tags became torn, or dog-eared or were even ripped off, this was her rabbit and it comforted her as she hugged it's soft body to hers and slowly, cried relieving and refreshing tears.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****You know that feeling when everything is terrible and you're trying not to cry, and then you see your mum and you**** fall apart because she's such a comfort? That's the feeling Rukia once had for Hisana - just saying so you know what I mean by it. That feeling you get when you see your parent when everything is shit in life. **

**I saw the Dark Knight Rises in the cinema with my boyfriend the other night, and we really enjoyed it! But yeah, on a more related note, sorry for the Rukitake, it's just so that I can fuck around with emotions and break some hearts later on ;) Byaruki hand holding - room potential methinks?**


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